Critical Condition
by ShatteredLyre
Summary: She averted her eyes. "207 won't let anyone tend to her...except for you." Yoh cocked his head in confusion. "Who's in 207?" The doctor looked down at the patient file. "Kyoyama. Anna Kyoyama."
1. The Twelve Days of Christmas

Main Feature: Yoh/Anna, Pailong/Jun

_also starring_: Ren/Piri, Lyserg/Jeanne, Horo/Tamao, Faust/Eliza

**

* * *

****1. The Twelve Days of Christmas**

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" The big hulking man in the bed shook his head. "Go get some rest, Bason." The former Chinese general went back to sleep as he disposed of the syringe that he had used to administer a shot to his patient. The syringe that had formerly terrified the living daylights out of said former Chinese general.

"How'd it go this time? Giant, pansy warlord still wetting his bed because of a stupid little needle?" Pirika asked, chewing the end of her pencil as she studied her patient report.

He rolled his eyes. "Stop calling him a warlord. And I helped him get over it. Virtually painless." His fellow nurse laughed. "What do we have next?"

The Ainu girl flipped over a page of her clipboard and extracted the gnawed on eraser from her mouth. "314 needs someone to change his bandages. Little boy, broken arm. Or 109 needs someone to change his sheets. Middle aged man, threw up from nausea." Both wrinkled their noses in disgust and stared at the clipboard.

"_Dibs on 314_!" they yelled at the same time, racing towards the elevator.

"Hello, there," the nurse panted out, inwardly celebrating the fact he had beaten Pirika as she was relegated to throw up duty. "So what can I do you for today?"

His noisy entrance roused the sleeping girl who had been slumped over the patient's bed. "Hmm?" She immediately straightened up and stuttered out an apology. "Er, s-s-sorry," she said, her head bowed down. "Ah, uh…"

The little boy in question rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Tamao, relax, you're acting like the one with the broken arm."

"Munzer, Redseb. You're due for some new bandages. Miss Munzer…? Are you his legal guardian? Older sister perhaps?"

Redseb, observing that Tamao was _clearly _rendered unable to speak or function at all for whatever reason, spoke up. "She's Tamamura Tamao and she's my…the first one you said. She volunteers at the orphanage we stay at." The girl nodded. "Don't worry, she's always like this. She's not that good with talking to other people…"

"Redseb!" Tamao clenched the arms of the chair she was sitting in.

He frowned. "What? It's true!"

_Orphanage, huh? Poor kid_. The male nurse smoothed out his scrubs. "_We_ stay at?"

"Yeah, me and—" The boy swiveled his head around, causing his messy hair to go flying. "Huh? What the—Seyram, where'd you go?" A little girl popped out from the other side of the bed. "Don't disappear like that!"

He laughed as he examined Redseb's sling. "Is this your sister?" The girl nodded solemnly. "You three are an interesting bunch. Now let's see…how did you manage to get yourself into this?"

As he removed the old bandages around the arm, Redseb's face lit up. "I broke it while snatching a baby out of the jaws of a lion in a burning building—" Seyram glared at him and thrust her doll at his face. "Okay…I fell out of a tree trying to get her doll that was stuck in it…" He hung his head. "Jeez, Seyram, way to ruin my story. The first one makes me sound all cool and heroic and stuff." She crossed her arms and sat down.

The nurse smiled and disposed of the worn out wrappings. "Your arm looks like it's healed pretty well. Let's get Dr. Tao to take a look at it before I bandage it again. You might not even have to wear a sling this time."

Redseb beamed as Tamao clasped her hands together and looked at the nurse who had helped them. "Th-Thank you, Mister…?"

"Yoh. Asakura Yoh." _Male nurse extraordinaire_.

* * *

"Damn you, Asakura!" Pirika seethed, looking quite frazzled, as she returned to the desk they frequented. She scowled and held up her gloved hands in disgust. "Look at me! He threw up _again_ when I was changing his sheets," she hissed. "You owe me big time."

"Mmhmm." Yoh tapped the end of his pencil on the form he was filling out. "Say when do we—"

"Aha! I knew you weren't even listening!" she cried. "That's it, I don't want always getting stuck with the short end of the stick every time we get patients. Next time I need someone to cover for a CC, you're filling in for me."

Yoh mumbled his response. CC's or critical condition patients were very depressing to look after, as their cases ranged from burn victims to car crash survivors to cancer to slow hemorrhaging to a whole slew of terminal diseases. Every single member of the staff at Funbari Hill Hospital hated getting stuck with a CC, considering that their patient's chances of living were extremely low. And to the sunny and persistently upbeat Yoh Asakura, it was twice as bad. "Fine, I guess for the past couple of weeks—"

"_Months_."

"—I've been beating you out for all the easier cases. It's only fair." He shrugged and mulled over the patient form again. "314's name is Redseb."

Her face softened. "Yoh…"

"He has a little sister named Seyram." He paused before marking _N/A_ when the form asked for the names of the patient's parent(s). "They're both orphans."

"How many times did I tell you to not—"

"Get emotionally attached to a patient? Um…one hundred…forty…seven times? Well, with this, it's one hundred forty-eight." He smiled sheepishly. "I can't help it."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a sucker for orphans, I know. Watch, one of these days, you're gonna get married to one." Pirika folded her arms and slumped over the desk, her eyes closed. "I'd be careful if I were you." He looked at her quizzically. "Right now, you have the quizzical look on your face," she predicted, her eyes still shut. "I say that because…well, you're gonna get hurt if you keep this up." She went silent and remained perfectly still so that Yoh wondered if she had died right then.

"Pirika, how long this time?"

Her eyes flew open and he was able to see that they were bloodshot. "Thirty-two hours." She looked scared.

He laughed. "Go home."

"But—"

"_Go home_."

"Please don't make me—"

"Pirika, go home."

She pouted. "Don't tell Tao. Or I _will_ kill you." She grabbed her purse and jacket and spun on her heel as indignantly as she could.

Yoh shook his head. "Hey, Usui, are we still on for decorating the hospital tomorrow?" He was met with an angry wave of the hand from her as she strode away. "I'm taking that as a yes."

Dr. Tao approached him without looking up from her clipboard. "Asakura…" She scribbled something down in her trademark blue ink as she drew out the last syllable of his last name (per usual). "Good…" She looked up and turned her head around the room as if she were checking if there were people around. "Good job."

"Hey, doc—"

"It was because of the feedback we got from 314. Nothing more, nothing less," she said quickly and mechanically. She placed her pencil behind her ear near what Pirika, Yoh, and the rest of the staff called "Tao's fan bun" (not directly to her face of course). Curiously enough, it was not quite a bun, and her hair didn't completely fan out, thus, the fan bun was born. Her personality was acerbic at best and her hair was dangerously pointy and when you put two and two together you get one very cautious Yoh Asakura.

"I was going to ask how our little hospital celebrity was doing." Yoh grinned at her and drummed his fingers on the surface of the desk.

Jun regarded him with a brand of cold suspicion only she could administer. "The same as he has been for the past five years. _Unconscious in a coma_, Asakura," she said, enunciating every word.

He shrugged as his cell phone bleeped. "Just asking is all. Because a lot of the staff said that you—oh, hold on, I need to take this." He began walking away, talking on his phone

The resident MD's eyes widened. "What? What have they been saying? Asakura? _Asakura_! Come back here!"

He put down his phone momentarily and mouthed out _I'm off duty_ before he exited the building.

She glared at the hospital's automatic doors long after they had let Yoh through before she realized patients and nurses alike had been staring at her. "What are you staring at? Get back to work, all of you!"

* * *

"Hey, welcome home," Horohoro said into the refrigerator as Yoh entered their apartment. "Score's 72-80."

"Er…okay. You know that I don't—"

"Follow sports. Yeah I know. I'm just excited. Big game, big game. Hokkaido representing. Got some bets ridin' on this one here. Shot clock runnin' out on them won't get 'em this year," Horohoro remarked before opening yet another can of soda. Yoh sighed. Sometimes it was like his best friend since childhood/current roommate was speaking a different language.

"What the—how many sodas have you had?" Yoh gaped as he realized that there were more aluminum cans than carpet showing on the floor.

"Uh, I dunno. Don't count those, not accurate. I had to clear away some at half-time 'cause there wasn't enough space on the floor."

"Your teeth are going to rot out and you will never get a girlfriend," Yoh stated cheerfully, a huge smile plastered onto his face. "Oh and you won't ever be able to drink soda or eat anything with sugar ever again because you'll become diabetic."

"Sounds cool," Horohoro said, his eyes locked onto the television screen in front of him even though it was still a commercial.

Yoh wordlessly exited the living area and went into his room. After attempting to listen to music (he switched the CD that was in the player thirteen times before giving up), he found himself mindlessly turning on his laptop, his fingers typing in the addresses of various websites that sold children's toys, while thinking of what Redseb and Seyram would want for Christmas. After twenty minutes or so, he shook himself out his stupor. "What am I doing. I don't even know them that well…" He frowned at the glowing LCD monitor of his laptop. "But still…"

He grabbed his cell phone that had been peacefully charging on his bed and hit speed dial.

"This had better be good," came the angry snarl from the other end of the line.

"Nice to hear your voice too."

"My boyfriend is over at my place and for those of us in this conversation who actually have love lives—oh wait, I forgot, I'm the only one who has any amount of romance going on right now—"

"Shopping, Pirika, shopping." So yes, Yoh knew using Pirika's number one weakness was kind of a new low but he needed her help with what he was planning.

"…Shop…ping?" She paused, leaving Yoh to stew as he awaited her answer.

He finally sighed. "Price?"

"Hmm…two shifts. _Two shifts_. For the next CC." He inwardly groaned. Two shifts watching over a CC case was no joke. "Still up to it?" Her voice sounded exceedingly smug.

Yoh still had _Two shifts_ echoing around in his head for a moment before he realized she had asked a question. "Yes? Yes."

"It's that important, isn't it?" He pictured her tapping her finger against her lips as she always did when she was in one of her thoughtful moods (he was rather well acquainted with this considering her brother did the exact same gesture—however, Horohoro did it when he was debating over the choices on the menu of a fast food joint whereas Pirika did it when it came to shopping decisions). "All right then," she said as if it were too much of a burden. Her end of the line became muffled as she cupped her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. Yoh tapped his hand against the wall and hummed as he waited for her to return. "Okay, I'll see you there around seven-ish."

He tapped his room door open and peeked outside. Horohoro had finally crashed before the game was even over. As Yoh quietly made his way around all the discarded cans on the floor, he took a look at the final score. _Horohoro is going to be disappointed_…_Hokkaido lost again_. He turned the TV off and slipped outside of their apartment.

* * *

"So…" Pirika and Yoh walked down the noisy streets of downtown Tokyo, passing the store windows in which the employees were busily decorating for the upcoming holidays. "So…" she repeated.

"Well, I got to thinking…"

"Oh boy. You were thinking again."

"We should have a toy drive for the kids in the hospital and the orphanage in Funbari Hill."

"_Yoh_."

He shook off the snow that had accumulated on top of his hood. "What?"

Pirika stopped walking and looked at him. "Tao isn't going to go for that! You already know how she gets around Christmas time what with all the cheer and happiness and joy…it makes her twenty times more irritated for some reason. And if you throw in helping _sad kids _and _orphans_? This is Tao we're talking about, not the flippin' love child of Mother Teresa and Santa Claus." She drew a line across her throat and made a cutting noise. "No contest."

Yoh grinned at her. "I already asked the boss lady." He stood there, beaming triumphantly as Pirika's jaw dropped.

"H-H-How—"

"I called her right after I finished talking to you and asked. She said that not only was it fine but it was a great idea. _Great_ idea."

"That sounds suspicious."

Yoh kicked at a clump of ice on the ground. "Yeah, her voice sounded a little off when she said it. I think she was in a patient's room when I called her."

"What was she doing at the hospital so late?" she asked half to herself as she paused in front of a particularly happy looking store. "Wait, how do you even know that she was in a patient's room?"

"Remember the annoying buzzing of fluorescent lights in all of the rooms on the fifth floor?"

Pirika winced. "There's no mistaking them for sure." They entered the shop. "Fifth floor, huh?" She pursed her lips.

"I'm thinking the same thing too."

"She's giving so much of her attention to our little celebrity." Pirika held up a garland. "Ah, this one looks nice!" Yoh nodded in agreement. "You sure want to start decorating really early this year? It isn't even December yet."

He looked up from the ornaments he had been inspecting. "It's the end of November. Give me a break," he laughed. "Anyways, what are you complaining about? You love Christmas as much as I do." He turned to a store clerk. "I think we'll be taking these." The clerk nodded and took the three boxes of ornaments from him.

"I'm not complaining!" Pirika had an expression of faux offense on her face. "If it were up to me, I'd have the hospital stay decorated with Christmas stuff all year long. It makes people happier and less stressed that way." She placed several garlands and a canister of tinsel on the counter as well and picked up some fake holly and pointed it at Yoh's face. "Not that _you_ need to be any happier. I swear, you probably scare a lot of the patients that way." She tossed the plastic foliage at the hassled clerk. "We'll be taking this as well."

Yoh smiled. "You and Horo are the exact same person sometimes." He placed several stockings on top of her head.

She whirled around. "Ew, gross! I'm nothing like him. I don't understand how you can stand _living_ with that brother of mine every day of your life," she scoffed from underneath the red and white felt that was covering her face.

"Funny. He asked how I could stand _working_ with that sister of his every day of my life."

Pirika simply scowled as she moved to the non-Christmas section of the store while Yoh trailed behind her obediently. Kneeling on the floor, she grumbled as she rifled through the clearance bin and, finding what she had been so adamant in searching for, held up a packet of pens and a poster board. "Might as well, right? We need _something _to let everyone know we're having a toy drive."

"Er…won't just a poster board with your mediocre lettering skills or my pathetic drawing abilities make it look…well…"

"Well _what_?" Pirika stared at him unblinkingly.

"Um…lame?"

"That's why we'll get Miss Red Eyes to do it for us." She scooted backwards and hopped back up. "_Then _she'd actually be able to do something useful for once."

He rolled his eyes at her nickname for the teenage volunteer at the hospital. "Pirika…" Yoh leaned on a nearby shelf. "Jeanne's a nice girl."

"She doesn't do anything and she's always in my way every time I'm passing through on the second floor!" she huffed as they made their way to the cashier.

"She's still in high school. What do you want her to do? Perform open heart surgery? Thanks," he said offhandedly as the clerk rang up all of their supplies.

"Well, when I was her age, I was taking care of my dad and Horohoro and I was the only one in our little dysfunctional family to be earning an income." Her eyes looked empty as she said this. "I didn't let…let what had happened stop me even if I was only seventeen years old."

"Pirika, your mom leaving your dad isn't your fault." Yoh placed his hand on top of her wrist. "You need to stop blaming yourself for everything."

"I know, I know. It's just…frustrating. It's fine though. I mean, all of this happened four years ago." She leaned on the barcode the poor clerk had been trying to scan. "She's seventeen. She should be…I don't know, _doing_ something with her life."

"She's graduating in May. I'm sure she'll find something productive to do in college." The clerk looked exhausted as he handed Pirika and Yoh seven bags worth of decorations.

"We can only hope." Her pager vibrated angrily at her hip. "Hmm?" She unclipped the plastic device that the hospital had given every staff member once they had started working there. "Ah, how fun. A CC is coming in tomorrow from the Mount Osore region. Seems their hospital over there is getting overworked by the holiday rush."

Yoh tilted his head sideways when they exited the store. "Holiday rush? What do you mean?"

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't you ever notice around late November and early December there are always somehow more people getting checked into the hospital because of some kind of accidents or depression or whatnot? And it's always Thanksgiving time or Christmas time when it happens."

"That's actually true," Yoh laughed.

"Anyways, that's not the point. _You_ get to go in tomorrow bright and early to attend to our new depressing patient. What a way to start off the cheeriest month of the year!" She smirked devilishly at him. "Told you, the holiday rush is true! This is our first critical condition case in months."

"How lovely. At least I can start decorating early." He rubbed his mittened hands together.

"...Your optimism is nauseatingly endearing."

* * *

Yoh returned back to his apartment early so that he could get some rest before waking up at six in the morning the following day.

"Hey, Horo— " He cut himself off as he saw the Ainu boy was still sleeping the exact same position Yoh had left him in several hours earlier. He mindlessly did his evening routine as he prepared for bed.

Yoh stared up at the plaster white ceiling of his room, humming a tune to himself, not hearing his phone buzz desperately as he received twelve missed calls from Izumo.

* * *

_A partridge in a pear tree_

* * *

**A/N**: oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, it's starting! as promised, thus concludes the first of many, many chapters of Critical Condition. This story is based on a short of the same name that I wrote in my series of shorts _My _Commensal if you're intersted. Expect extremely rapid updates. As in, I might even be updating a chapter a day for this fic, so **add this story or even me to your alerts**. (that's how excited I am). Critical Condition will be updated and finished during December (...well...yeah...considering it's a Christmas fic) i'm especially excited since this is my first story where PailongJun is one of the main pairings =)

**Reviews are lovely as always. **=)and check out my other stories as well! I updated _My Commensal _with a little celebratory RenPiri short yesterday. it's snazzy =)


	2. Baby, It's Cold Outside

**2. Baby, It's Cold Outside**

"Dr. Tao said to go to 207 for the CC patient," Jeanne reported sleepily.

'Thanks, Jeanne. Do you wanna help out decorating later?"

"Mmhmm," she murmured before dozing off at the main desk.

Yoh smiled at the girl. Seven in the morning was quite the ungodly hour for a high school senior to be awake. Especially on the weekend. _Gotta commend her for that. She doesn't even need to volunteer anymore this year_, he mused to himself as he shrugged off his jacket and took a bite out of his bagel. "207, huh?" He put down the bag filled with the merchandise he and Pirika bought the day before.

_Always a pleasure to work on the second floor_, he thought, half joking as he remembered the last time Ryu had stopped by one of his rooms. He nearly molested Yoh's fellow nurse, a boy by the name of Lyserg Diethel, to death before Ryu remembered he was just there to drop off the patient's meal. _Good times. Lucky for the hospital, Lyserg didn't press charges against us…Wonder how awkward it is, considering they see each other every day._

"Boss-man!" _Speak of the devil_. Ryu waved from behind his food trolley.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Just got back from seeing the new CC. A whole bunch of us went to check her out. First time I've seen one conscious!" Ryu exclaimed as he pulled out several prepackaged boxed meals. "Feh, this stuff looks nasty! You know, the hospital should really do something about their food. Patients probably leave here sicker than they arrived because of it!"

Yoh laughed. "True but with the budget cuts, the quality of the food is the least of the hospital's worries. They can't afford to switch to a more expensive food program or hire a chef. The only way it's going to get better is if someone volunteers to cook." He paused as Ryu continued removing the plastic wrappings from the boxes. "Heh, who'd cook meals for an entire hospital, especially with the holidays coming up? No one would do that much work or give up that much time for no pay."

Ryu appeared to be lost in thought and jolted out of whatever he was daydreaming about (_Probably more like _who_ever he was daydreaming about_, Yoh silently said to himself). "Ah, ah…well, you never know." He hurriedly prepared more meals.

"So how's the CC?" Yoh asked, wanting to know as much as he could before going into the room and meeting the patient.

"Not much of a talker. Wouldn't respond when we kept asking her what happened. Looked pretty beat up though." Ryu paused in his preparations. "Also looked like she wanted to beat the shit out us too. But yeah. She was all bloody and cut and bruised, probably in a car accident. Really mangled if you ask me. I was surprised she was conscious though."

"Huh. Thanks, Ryu." Yoh walked away in a daze. _I've never had a physically injured CC before. Usually they have terminal illnesses or something. This should be interesting_. He braced himself before walking inside. "Hello, 207." He put on his sunniest smile.

Lyserg and Matilda were just about finished transferring the patient from her stretcher to the bed.

"Lyserg! Watch it, the patient's slipping!" Matilda seethed.

"You're supposed to be holding the legs," Lyserg muttered helplessly.

"Well, how can I when it keeps kicking me?" the orange haired nurse demanded. They both managed to place the girl down on the bed.

"I'm a _person_, not an _it_," the patient snapped at both of them. Lyserg looked apologetically at the girl before leaving while Matilda simply rolled her eyes and walked outside. "Terrible nurses."

The girl inside didn't even move when Yoh entered. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to watch over you for the next few weeks, okay?" _God, it's worse than Ryu said. And she looks like she's pretty young_.

She finally tore her gaze from the window to stare at him, one of her eyes swollen shut, the other surrounded by crusted blood from numerous cuts. She lifted her hand, which seemed have more wounds than flesh on it, to push back her hay colored hair that currently was caked with dirt and more blood. "I was told a _girl_ was coming to watch over me. Unless your name is Pirika," she stated coldly.

"Um, there was a change in shifts…?" None of Yoh's training could've prepared him for this. He tried his best not to stare.

"Whatever. Aren't you going to ask me what my name is? Or what happened?" She continued to glare at him for whatever offense Yoh had somehow committed.

"I figured that you would probably be tired of answering those questions. It really is none of my business. I'm simply here to keep you company."

The patient simply stared back, uncertainty and surprise filling her eyes. "Ah."

"Caught you off guard, didn't I?" he teased.

"Of course not. I'm simply used to everyone treating me like some kind of specimen ever since I was in Mount Osore. Even a bunch of idiots came in here earlier to see me like I was a freak show on display and kept asking me what happened," she sniffed.

_Oh, Ryu_. Yoh approached the bed, intending to sit down on it but paused as he realized she had no intention of letting him. "Would you mind moving your legs?"

She looked at him skeptically. "I would but they're _paralyzed_."

Yoh's face burned in embarrassment. "Oh…Ah…I'm sorry…"

"Aren't you supposed to know that? You know, being my assigned _caretaker_ and all?"

"I don't really like reading patients' files. I'd rather get to know them myself." He shrugged, trying not to look at the lifeless, useless stumps that were supposed to be her legs. "Let's get you cleaned up. So how old are you anyways? Sixteen? You look pretty young to be in such bad shape."

She clenched her jaw as he filled up a tub with warm water, the muscles in her heavily bruised neck tensing up. "I'm twenty-one."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Same here." He gently lifted her down a bit and began washing all the dirt and blood out of her hair.

"Oh, _really_, Mister…" She asked sarcastically, looking at his name tag. "Asakura." He accidentally splashed one of her raw face wounds with soap. "_Do that again and I will _kill _you_," she hissed.

Yoh paused momentarily, taken aback by the sheer amount of hatred with which she had said that. "Wh-What?"

The girl shook her head in confusion. "I-I…Excuse me for saying that," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Sorry about that. This might sting a little," he warned her before beginning to clean her face. After he was finally done, he wiped off his hands. "Pirika will come in later to wash off your body and bandage you up so—" He cut himself off as he saw that she had fallen asleep. _Good, she really needs her rest_.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. "Twelve missed calls from grandpa?" He hurriedly flicked open the cell and immediately pressed play on the sole voicemail his grandfather had left him.

_Yoh? Yoh? Is this thing recording? Kino? Kino! How do I know if that voicemail device Mikihisa told me about is working? Hello? Oh it's if that odd, drawn out beep plays? I see…wait, I think it already did—no, I want to be the one to leave it! Back off, woman!_

Yoh furrowed his eyebrows. "Jeez, grandpa. Same as ever."

Yohmei's recorded voice got oddly serious.

_Yoh, we just got notified that the girl we had adopted a few years ago has been seriously injured when she was visiting her hometown. However, there was not enough space in her local hospital and we just found out that she has been transferred to Funbari Hill Hospital. She should be arriving in a few weeks and we would like for you to keep an eye out for her if it wouldn't be too much trouble. Thank you._

A rush of static filled Yoh's ears before the message went silent and his phone asked him whether he would like to keep the voicemail or delete it. He looked up at his current patient. "I hope the girl grandma adopted isn't as beat up as this," he said softly. He quietly stole towards the door. "Good night, 207." He turned the knob, prepared to slip outside unnoticed so that he wouldn't disturb her any more.

"Asakura."

He froze as he heard her painfully clear her throat. "Yes?"

"Th…ank…you…" She fell back into a deep sleep.

"That's what I'm here for."

* * *

"Here you go, kids." Pirika looked down uncertainly at Redseb and Seyram.

"Thanks, nurse!" The little boy grinned back up at her.

"Be more careful next time. Even though your arm has fully healed, you're still anemic—" She stopped her lecture as she realized both children were not paying attention. "Ugh, I give up."

"Nurse! Can you tell us a story?"

Pirika balked. "What? No!"

Redseb frowned and looked at her pleadingly. "Please? Tamao always tells us a story before we go to bed. But she's not here today."

"Well, I'm not your nanny," she huffed before going back outside.

"You know, you should try being nicer to the kids," Lyserg mused as he continued entering data into the excel spreadsheet he had been working on for the past few days.

"And why should I?" she asked, evidently irritated as she poured herself a cup of water from the cooler. "I'm not their mother!"

"Of course not." He nodded as he caught a typo in the data. "They don't _have_ a mother."

Pirika downed the water quickly and tossed the paper cup into the trashcan. "Lyserg, why do you always make me feel like such a crappy person?" she sighed.

"Because not everyone can see that the meaner you are to a person, the more you like him or her like I can. And also, you're a nurse. Your bedside manner could use a little improvement." He saved the spreadsheet and exited out of the program. "Everyone should be able to see how great of a nurse you are."

"Feh. Fine." She turned on her heel to face the room the two Munzer children were in.

"I also happen to know why you're acting like this especially towards them." Lyserg stood up and collected his patient files.

"Oh, and what reason do you surmise from my actions?" she asked mockingly.

He grinned at her. "It's because you're scared."

"Excuse me? I am _not_…not scared or whatever." She waved her hand dismissively. "What are you talking about?"

"You're scared of becoming close to someone. Especially to someone that reminds you so much of yourself." He looked at Redseb and Seyram. "They're orphans, no?"

"I am not an orphan," she stated pointedly.

"And yet you feel like one." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hmph." She began strutting away.

"And of course, you feel like you're terrible at telling bedtime stories," he called after her.

"Is this what happens when certain British people start their major as psychology before switching to nursing?" she asked aloud before reentering the room.

"Hey, nurse, you're back!" The boy smiled toothily at her.

"Yeah, yeah," Pirika said as she sat down. "So you two want a story?" They both nodded. "Okay, let me just warn you that I'm not that good at this type of thing and my imagination is very limited and—"

"Just tell it to us!"

"Okay…fine. So…uh…" Pirika strained her mind as she struggled to recall any semblance of a fairy tale from her childhood. "Uh…"

The two kids looked at her expectantly and eagerly.

"Er…" she looked through the window of the room. "Once upon a time…there was…a…" Lyserg came into her view. "A boy…no, wait, he was a prince…of England! Yeah, that's it. And he was traveling through his kingdom one day when he heard that there was a…" She saw that Lyserg had been talking to Jeanne. And had been smiling quite a lot as well. _Lyserg and Jeanne are always talking. And he's always blushing. Talk about water cooler gossip with Yoh later!_ "A maiden from France that was under a spell by an evil group of witches and wizards."

"What were their names?" Redseb demanded.

"Her name was Jeanne. And she was very beautiful. Even though she's annoying sometimes. And the prince's name was Lyserg. And he was…" She looked at him again. "Decent looking, I guess. Anyways, the evil witches and wizards were really jealous of her and they banded together to form a group called the…" She tried to remember the company that Jeanne's father owned. "The X-LAWS."

"What kind of name is that?" he asked skeptically.

"An evil one. Do you want to hear the story or not? Moving on. The spell that they cast on her long ago made her fall into a sleep that lasted hundreds of years. They placed her into an…an iron casket and—" _Iron casket? Where did that come from?_ "And locked her away in a castle so that no one would be able to find her. But Lyserg, since he thinks—er, I mean, since he _is_ so smart and cunning, was able to find this castle. The spell could only be broken if Jeanne's true love kissed her on the lips."

Redseb made a disgusted face.

"Oh, hush. So he did and it turned out that he _was_ her true love and she woke up and they fell in love."

"And they all lived happily ever after?" he asked as Seyram nodded.

"Not quite." Pirika held up a finger to tell them to wait. "The X-LAWS, angry that their plan had been foiled and that Jeanne was going to become the queen of England, decided to ruin the new couple's lives. They talked to a very powerful wizard named…" She wracked her brain for a name. Just then, Yoh's brother walked into the lobby. _Is that Hao? He's probably here to pick up Yoh. Ugh, Hao._

"Named?" Redseb began bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Named Hao. And he decided to start a war between England and France to tear the two apart. Sure enough, it worked. Lyserg and Jeanne were put onto opposite sides. Lyserg fought bravely, trying his hardest to get his loved one back. Jeanne prayed every night that Lyserg would live to see another day in battle. Her sadness was so strong that she cried…tears of blood every day."

"_Whoa_."

'_Whoa's' right. Where the heck am I getting this stuff from?_ "But…" One more person joined the other three through her window. _Ew, Tao Ren. I never liked him. He's always so uppity every time he comes here to visit Dr. Tao. So arrogant and conceited and egotistical and rude and he's always in a suit and _what _is with his _hair_—_ "But this really, really, really, _really_ evil ruler named Ren comes along in the middle of the war."

Seyram leaned over and whispered something to Redseb. "She wants to know if Ren was handsome."

She stared at the real Ren outside as he was looking around for his sister. "He was…very, very handsome," she said quietly. She snapped out of it and saw the two children peering at her in curiosity. "I mean, no, he was really hideous! Super ugly! Just like his personality," she said snippily as she remembered all of her past encounters with Ren. "Persuaded by Hao and the X-LAWS and motivated by his own greed, he decides to force Jeanne to marry him. Wrecked with grief, they both die from sadness."

The two children widened their eyes.

"But the gods, moved by how much love the two had for one another, decided to grant them one final wish. They put Jeanne's soul into the sky and transformed Lyserg into a yellow flower…you might know him as a sunflower. That's why when you look outside, you'll always see the sunflower reaching up towards the sky…reaching out and yearning to join it but never able to." She stared at their awestruck faces and began to burn up in embarrassment. "The end," she finished quickly.

"That. Was. _Awesome_!" Redseb exclaimed, looking as if he could've launched off of his bed to tackle her. Seyram nodded vehemently. "You gotta tell us a story every night now, nurse!"

Pirika's jaw dropped. _I don't think I can manage that every night_. "I don't know about that…"

"Come on, please?" They tried the puppy dog eyes tactic.

Pirika opened her mouth to deliver a very hearty _No!_ but then she remembered:

_Of course not. They don't _have_ a mother_.

"Damn you, Lyserg!" she muttered under her breath. "Okay, fine." Redseb cheered while Seyram looked quite pleased with herself. "But that's it, okay? If you like…throw up in your bed or something, you'll ask for _Yoh_, not _Pirika_, right?" They both nodded docilely. "Good. I'm leaving now, but I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

Right when she walked outside, her phone began ringing. "Hey, Yoh."

"Erm, I'm kind of busy right now so I was hoping that you could take the leftover decorations home."

"Yeah, sure. Do you want them at your place or mine?" she asked as she straightened out her scrubs.

"Mine, if you don't mind. Horohoro shouldn't be at home right now since he's at work so just let yourself in using the key. It's under the mat, by the way."

"Under the mat?" Pirika kept walking as she turned around to try to smooth out the wrinkles on her uniform's pants leg. "Okay, then I'll—Oof!" She staggered backwards, her phone nearly flying out of her hand. "I'm so sorry—"

"You better be," came the infuriated response.

Her eyes narrowed involuntarily as soon as she saw who it was. "Ren."

He looked her up and down, appearing to be thinking hard as if wondering if he was supposed to know her. "…Nurse. Do I know you?"

Pirika wanted to strangle him. _No, I've just been working for your sister for the past couple of years of my life and have had the displeasure of having to talk to you at staff parties that you were invited to for no apparent reason. Why were you even invited to those? You're not a nurse, you're not a doctor, you don't even work for the hospital. You're a freakin' businessman for crying out loud. What _business_ could you possibly have with us?_

"Do…I…know…you?" he repeated slowly.

"Erm, no. You don't."

"Good. I was afraid I had offended someone of importance." He straightened out his suit. "Try not to be so...crude next time. This suit is Armani. I don't want whatever crap you put your hands in smeared all over my clothes."

_Breathe, Pirika. Breathe. Do _not_ lose your cool and go homicidal on your boss's brother. Do not. You will most likely get fired and then what? Just calm down and ignore it and be the bigger person. You can get revenge when he gets into an accident and then letting him die—okay, no that's a little harsh—_

"…because obviously you're not intelligent enough academics-wise. I mean, just look at you. You're a nurse," he scoffed.

_Okay, THAT'S it_. _I'm definitely letting him bleed to death._ "_What_ did you—"

"Ah, Ren. That's where you are." Jun had come shuffling in, her head bent over her clipboard. "Sorry I'm late—"

He looked at her dryly. "You were on the fifth floor again, weren't you?"

Pirika turned away slightly so she wouldn't look like she was eavesdropping.

"My location during my work hours is none of your business…little brother," she replied snidely.

Pirika bit her lip to keep herself from giggling. _It's _so _obvious that she was on the fifth floor again_.

"Usui!" Jun barked. "What are you doing just...standing there?"

"Erk, sorry, Dr. Tao! I was just on my way out. I'm off duty!" She began power walking away as fast as she could.

* * *

"Ah, here we are." Pirika placed the two paper grocery bags down on the floor and swept her hand under the mat. "And here it is." She began humming to herself as she picked the bags up again and inserted the key into the door. "What the—" She furrowed her eyebrows in concern as she could have sworn she heard a yelp from inside the apartment. The Ainu girl put down the bags once more and retrieved her pepper spray from her purse._ Okay, what do I do, what do I do? What if it's a robber? What if it's a runaway prisoner who had been convicted of sexual assault? What if it's a runaway prisoner who's robbing the house and is going to sexually assault me and then leave my dead, violated corpse in the middle of some dark, sketchy, smelly alley? No, Pirika, you have to be smart in these kinds of situations. Alright, on the count of three, leap in there and kick his ass! Or pepper spray him. Either one works. Let's go...one...two...three...  
_

"Aaaah!" she yelled as she swung the door open, jumped through and pressed down on the nozzle of the pepper spray.

"Aaaah!" came the terrified shriek from the couch.

She slowly opened her eyes. "What in the world—Horohoro! What are you doing home?" she demanded.

"Oww!" he whimpered as he wiped at his eyes. "What did you use the pepper spray for?"

"I used it because I heard a noise from outside and no one was supposed to be home!" she said angrily, her hands on her hips. "I thought you were an intruder!"

"No, it's just me." He blinked as his eyes began watering up.

"Why aren't you at work?" Her gaze didn't falter as he began to wilt under it.

"I…uh…mmm…called in…sick?" He sunk further and further back into the sofa with each word he said.

"So if I called them right now, they would verify that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Urgh, no! Don't do that," he pleaded.

"Then tell me _why_ you're here!"

Horohoro opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of what to say. "I…er…" He took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you but please, please, _please_ don't tell dad." He paused thoughtfully. "Or Yoh for that matter."

"No promises." She gave him a steely glare.

"I…never…got a job." He looked around the room for a hiding place.

"_What._"

"I mean, yeah, I tried at first. Every day I always looked for ads in the paper…I just couldn't find any. No one wanted to hire me as soon as they found out about my financial situation."

Her body began to shake violently. "Horohoro, that was three years ago! I was still in nursing school when that happened. The only reason dad let you move out was because you said you'd find a job! And the only reason he let me go down to Tokyo was because you told him you were…steadily…employed…" Pirika eyes began to widen in fear. "Please don't…please don't tell me…don't…I don't think I can handle this…"

"Pirika, I'm so sorry." Horohoro got off of the couch and walked towards her. "I didn't mean—"

"Don't touch me!" She stepped away from him. "Do _not_ tell me that dad has been only living off of whatever I've been sending back to Hokkaido for him. Don't you _dare_ tell me that. Am I the only one who gives a…a…a flying _shit_ about the other members of our family? Am I? Tell me, who had to postpone her studies so that she could work for thirteen hours a day to cover the income we lost when mom left? Tell me, who had to work two jobs in college to pay off dad's drinking problem and gambling debts? I'm tired of being the responsible one. I'm tired of knowing that if I lost my job, then our _great_ and _loving_ family would fall to shit. I'm tired of being let down by mom, by dad, and now by _you_. I'm tired, I'm tired, I'm tired of being tired!"

"Pirika—"

"No. Don't talk to me. Don't even think of following me. Just…_don't_." And with that, she walked as fast as she could away from everything.

"God_damn_," he whispered and sunk back down on the couch, cradling his head in his arms.

* * *

A few hours later, in the dead of night several miles away, a scream broke out from room 207 of Funbari Hill Hospital.

"_No! Please!_ Don't lock me out of—! _No_! I'm begging you! Don't leave me here alone! I can't be with them, not again! _No!_ _Don't leave me outside by myself!_"

* * *

_I've got to go away. It's cold out there._

_

* * *

_**A/N**: oh my goodness, what is the patient in 207 screaming about? wait, isn't 207 the same girl Yoh had been tending to earlier? ;) and wow, Pirika sure got mad...I wonder what happened in their family's history? and why is Dr. Tao always on the fifth floor of the hospital? what _is_ the fifth floor anyways? what's that? next chapter is going to give some answers and raise even more questions? aaah, hopefully I'll be able to update more regularly now that _Yoh and the Oni_ is done (the final chapter is posted! read it! love it! review it!). I'm shooting for twelve chapters before Christmas Eve (so that's ten updates in seventeen days, yeesh).

PLEASE, PLEASE _**REVIEW **_=)


	3. Let It Snow

**3. Let It Snow**

"Jun, it's only a matter of time before the hospital will have to be downsized!" Ren exclaimed angrily.

"Just give me a few more weeks to sort everything out, Ren," she replied calmly. "I need a little bit more time—"

"I've given you as much time as I could already. I can only stall so much. Marco is starting to ask questions and I can't afford to upset him anymore. His little lackeys are going to show up at the hospital any day now." He shook his head disgustedly. "Once you anger the X-LAWS…"

"I know. But I hardly think that your future _father-in-law_ would fire you over something like that," she stated coldly.

This shut Ren up for a few good minutes.

Jun sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it's too soon." She studied his face. "You know, you don't have to marry her if you don't want to. I'm sure mother and father will understand. Arranged marriages are a thing of the past anyways."

"It's not that," he said quietly. "It was never…it was never an arranged marriage."

Jun narrowed her eyes.

"I voluntarily entered into it. It is my duty as a Tao to keep our bloodline strong. A marriage of convenience is hardly a big price to pay in order to achieve my goal."

"_Your_ goal or the _family's_ goal, Ren? You sound just like father."

He clenched the side of his table until his knuckles turned white. "At least I haven't chained my heart to a dying man!" He stood up abruptly. "Or whatever is _left_ of your heart, _big sister_." He glared down at her.

Jun remained silent, staring a hole into the table in front of her. Finally, she spoke. "He's not dying. And you're nothing like father," she murmured under her breath. "I'm sure she will be a good wife to you."

Ren's body relaxed and he massaged his forehead. "Christmastime." He looked up. "I'm giving you until Christmastime. Any day past the twenty-fifth and I can't guarantee anything. So do whatever you need to do before then."

"Thank you, Ren." Jun closed her eyes.

"Don't thank me just yet."

* * *

"Hello, again!" Yoh propped the door open with his foot as he made his way inside. "How has your first week at the hospital been?"

The girl put the book she was reading down and looked at him irritably. "Where have you been these past few days?"

"I had to help out Dr. Faust with some surgeries in the other wing. It was pretty messy. Some boy was internally bleeding and—hey, are you alright?" He walked over to her bed in concern as soon as he saw her face fall.

"I'm fine." He continued looking at her until she rolled her eyes. She kept silent until she finally gave in. "Hmph. I'm sulking because…" Her voice trailed off. "Because while you were gone, that head nurse—"

"You mean Eliza?"

She waved her scabbed hand dismissively. "If it's the blond one that's as pale as death and looks like she isn't living on the inside, then yes."

"What about her? She's head nurse for a reason…because she's the best. Did she do something to upset you?"

The patient shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just overheard her telling that other girl…that my vitals are…declining." Yoh looked down and saw that her hands had been shaking. "I don't…I don't know what…"

"Approximately at three in the morning after your first day at the hospital, you were reported to have been screaming from a nightmare. They said it sounded like someone was locking you out of a house or building which left you in the cold…and with a group of people," Yoh recounted mechanically. "Would you…mind telling me what you dreamed that night?"

The girl blinked slowly and opened her mouth as Yoh leaned forward to listen to what she had to say. "I don't remember," she said bluntly.

Yoh nodded understandingly. "Well, if you do happen to remember, I'm always here to listen," he reminded her gently. "You should get some more rest."

Before his patient could protest, her lids began to feel rather heavy and soon enough, she was lost in a deep sleep.

* * *

"_That little bitch is back here again…"_

_

* * *

_"_I didn't mean to, I swear. I don't know what happened…"_

_

* * *

_"_Mount Osore killing spree. Seven dead in two weeks. No suspects yet, killer still on the loose…"_

_

* * *

_"_You took him away! You took him away and it's all your fault and he's never coming back…"_

_

* * *

_"_The entire village thinks you're a witch or a murderer or both…"_

_

* * *

_"_Darling, don't talk to that child. Don't you know she's the village outcast? She's dangerous…"_

_

* * *

_"_Have you ever considered exorcism…"_

_

* * *

_"_You mean that sad excuse of a girl over there? Sure, you can take her. Hell, we'll pay you to take her…"_

_

* * *

_"_How can you expect anyone to love a monster? Everyone hates you! You aren't worthy of anything else besides hatred…"_

_

* * *

_"_And then h-h-her hands wrapped around his neck and—oh, God, it was awful…"_

_

* * *

"__That's right! Don't ever come back! Ha, that should teach her a lesson..."_

_

* * *

_"_No wonder her father left such a long time ago…"_

_

* * *

_"_Your training will start immediately. From now on, you will forget where you came from. You will be a part of our family…"_

_

* * *

_"_What don't you understand? We don't want you here, we never did, and we never will. It's your problem if you can't find a place to stay during the winter…"_

_

* * *

_"_She doesn't even deserve to be called human! Just like her mother…"_

_

* * *

_"_What the hell happened to you…"_

_

* * *

_"_If you ever come back here again, you won't leave alive…"_

_

* * *

_"_We'll…"_

_

* * *

_"_We'll…kill…"_

_

* * *

_"_**We'll kill you."**_

_**

* * *

**_Her eyes flew open. She began breathing in ragged pants and the adrenaline from her nightmare still stampeded through her veins as she touched her forehead. "Cold…sweat…"

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?" Yoh snapped the novel she had been reading earlier shut.

"No." She turned towards the window, her eyes still adjusting to the light. "How long was I asleep?"

"Almost half a day already."

She gave a curt nod towards the wall of her room. "Why are you touching my things?"

He pulled back as if he had been caught red handed. "Sorry, I was just seeing what you were reading…Is it any good?" He held up her battered book as she turned to face him. He looked at the cover. "_The English Patient_."

She resigned herself to staring at the ceiling. "It's told in a nonlinear fashion. It's up to the reader to be able to piece together the story, even if he or she isn't given all the information. We need to be able to take what we have and arrange it so that it makes sense…at least to us."

Yoh smiled. "Just like with you?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What are you—"

"Tell me the story line."

"It's about a burned patient during the world war. Everyone automatically assumes that he is English. There's a nurse who devotes her life to him even though she knows that he is dying. However, by the end of the book, all of the questions and complexities and overlapping story lines are boiled down to one point: the English patient is much different from what everyone had thought him to be before." She watched as dust filtered down from the ceiling, the particles momentarily lit up by the setting sun's rays as they swirled in front of the window.

"Do you mind if I borrow this?"

"Go ahead."

* * *

"Pirika, Lyserg, is there any news on another CC coming in?"

They both shook their heads. "Not that I know of."

"Strange." Yoh slumped over the desk.

"Hmm?"

"My grandpa called me a week ago saying that the girl they adopted should be arriving soon." He scratched his head. "I didn't know it would take this long."

"Don't you know what she looks like at least?" Pirika stared at him incredulously.

"Nope. They adopted her when I moved down to Funbari Hill for high school. Haven't been back to Izumo since."

"Not even her name?" Lyserg tilted his head.

He shrugged. "Never asked for it. And they obviously never had the need to tell me. It's not like I was ever going to meet her anyways."

"Uh…I…see…?" Pirika frowned. "You guys are a weird bunch."

Yoh waved at them and left.

"Usui, the kids want to see you." Matilda came marching in and peeled the used latex gloves off of her hands and disposed of them in the nearby trashcan. "And I…am officially off duty." She let down her hair, ran her fingers through it, and proceeded to tie it up again.

"And why are you getting all fancied up?" Pirika inquired, evidently amused.

"Going out." Matilda finished redoing her hair.

"With…?" Pirika asked, only half-interested in her co-worker's dinner plans.

"Kanna and Mari obviously," the orange haired girl scoffed.

"What are you going to do?" The Ainu girl balanced a pen on the bridge of her nose.

"Kick puppies and throw kittens into rivers while setting orphanages and research centers for plausible cures for cancer on fire."

"Ah. Have fun, then."

Matilda simply rolled her eyes at Lyserg before she exited the hospital. "Typical Usui."

"Aren't you going to go and check up on the kids like Matilda said?" Lyserg asked, looking at her curiously.

"No," she lamented. "They're just going to ask for another story again. I've been telling them one every night for a week now. I can't even think about thinking up a new story!"

Lyserg merely laughed. "Speaking of which...I heard you told them one about me?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

The girl sighed. "Relax, I just used you as a character in a fairy tale. Nothing to worry over." She grinned at him. "I told one about you and Jeanne, just by the way." She winked.

"Ah." He went back to work.

She straightened up. "'_Ah_'? That's all you have to say? What's the deal with you and her anyways?"

"There's absolutely nothing. We just work at the same building and happen to enjoy talking to each other. I think you call it _friendship_." Lyserg flipped the page he was reading. "Something that you obviously are not acquainted with."

"What's wrong with you? Just ten minutes ago, you were laughing and talking to her and looking as if your face got a terrible sunburn!"

He reddened. "Nothing is wrong with me."

"You obviously like—"

"Pirika." He stopped his work before looking up at her. "Jeanne is…" His voice trailed off as he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Her face grew serious. "What is she?"

"Jeanne is engaged to Tao Ren."

* * *

"_A lily-girl, not made for this world's pain._" He stopped and looked at her.

"Yes, this is the right one. Continue," she commanded with her eyes closed.

"_With brown, soft hair close braided by her ears, and longing eyes half veiled by slumberous tears._" He paused again.

"_Madonna Mia_."

"Uh…"

"Just keep reading."

"_Like bluest water seen through mists of rain: Pale cheeks whereon no love hath left its stain_."

"Mmm."

"_Red underlip drawn in for fear of love, and white throat, whiter than the silvered dove_," he recited as he looked down upon his patient.

"You've never heard this before, have you?"

"_Through whose wan marble creeps one purple vein. Yet, though my lips shall praise her without cease, even to kiss her feet I am not bold, being o'ershadowed by the wings of awe_," he continued as he shook his head.

"It's by Oscar Wilde."

"_Like Dante, when he stood with Beatrice beneath the flaming Lion's breast, and saw the seventh Crystal, and the Stair of Gold_."

"The Irish writer."

He closed the small, old book and handed it back to her. "That was nice…I suppose. Literature was never my strongest subject in school," he added sheepishly.

"I was a literature major before I came here."

"Ah. That would explain a lot."

He could have sworn her gaze could've burnt a hole through the wall she was staring at.

"My mother used to…read me that poem every day." She paused. "Before she died."

_Oh, God. Another orphan. Pirika was right_. "I'm sorry…"

She turned her glare towards him. "For what? It's not your fault she died." They sat in silence for a few moments. "She's the reason why I turned to books. People in stories could never hurt you the way people in the real world could. Writing gave you control over everything that you couldn't have over your life." She raised her hand and tapped her nail against the glass of the window. "Look. It's snowing."

"I—oh, never mind it's stupid." Yoh sighed.

She frowned at him. "What were you going to say?"

"No, it's—"

"_What were you going to say_."

He hesitated. "I've never told anyone this before. I don't know why I'm telling you this."

She cleared her throat as if to prod him on.

"I never actually had to get a job. You see my family is really rich and I was its heir—"

She muttered something under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, go on."

"But I decided to become a nurse anyways. When I was little, my twin brother and I fought a lot. He was a bit of a trouble maker so my father always told me to look after him while my parents were away. One day, my brother was playing with…some matches and I was being careless. I didn't see that he had lit one and before I knew it…" He shook his head bitterly. "He had dropped the match and the entire house…it was…burning and my father was trapped in his room. He was badly burned and to this day, every time I look at his face and the scars underneath that mask…I always get sick to my stomach. If only I had been paying attention, it could've been avoided. I decided to become a nurse so that I can make up for it I guess. I could never really forgive myself—"

"That's it?" She looked at him unfeelingly.

He blinked several times. "Huh?" _Great, first time I'm telling someone my biggest regret and this is what happens…_

"So you became a nurse out of guilt. As if helping other people would help yourself atone for whatever careless mistake you committed when you were a kid. Big deal."

He furrowed his brows. "Hey, now wait just a second—"

"Better yet, it wasn't even your fault. It was your idiot pyromaniac of a brother."

"But—"

"Asakura, you become a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, a teacher, whatever because you _want_ to. Not just because you feel you _have_ to," she said nonchalantly. "Otherwise, you're nothing better than a lazy heir that doesn't work because his family told him not to. It becomes meaning_less_, rather than meaning_ful_."

"I…I guess you're right…" Yoh's head started spinning.

"Of course," she said in annoyance. "I always am." She huffed to herself and looked outside again. "So much snowfall..."

* * *

"So Ren and Jeanne are getting married…and Jeanne's basically getting forced into it by her father who owns X-LAWS…and Ren's doing it out of convenience which is self-centered and greedy..." Pirika said slowly in awe. "Is this real life or a soap opera of the Korean variation?"

"Er, if you want to put it that way, I guess." Lyserg uncomfortably sipped at the soda he purchased from the hospital's cafeteria. "And you watch Korean dramas? Since when?"

_It's exactly like my story…well of course it's a little different but_… "Shush," she ordered, holding her hand up. "And you're just going to let it happen? Are you crazy?" She thrust her fork down into her salad as if to prove her point. "Don't you care about her?"

"I do but she chose this path even though it's not the most ideal one…isn't love about letting the other person do what they feel is right even if it ends up hurting you in the end?"

She threw her hands up in defeat. "It is…_sometimes_. But there are the other times when you see someone doing something stupid with their lives and you have to interfere and show them what they are doing is _wrong_. Prime example: your situation right now."

The boy across from her sighed. "I can't believe I'm getting relationship advice from _you_ of all people…"

"What's _that _supposed to mean? Do you want her back or not? Anyways, I'm the only one in the entire staff that actually _has _a love life." She tapped her lips with her pointer finger. "Well, except for Faust and Eliza but they don't count since they were practically married when they came out of their mothers' wombs."

"Disturbing yet effective image." Lyserg blanched a bit. "Now that you brought it up…how _is_ that love life of yours, Pirika? You haven't brought your boyfriend to any of the hospital's parties recently." He looked at her in concern.

"We're…" She tried her best to smile and look unaffected. "Fine. Perfectly and totally fine. Even more than that, we're _great_. Super, even," she lied through her teeth.

He shrugged and went back to his soft drink.

"Hmm…so is that why she's volunteering so much at the hospital?" Pirika mused.

"If by that you mean 'her father, the CEO of X-LAWS, who is control of all of Tokyo's business district and public facilities, is making her work here so she can be under his supervision at all times,' then…yes."

"Ren is working for Marco, isn't he? Got the Tao boy a pretty nice position over at X-LAWS."

Lyserg smiled ruefully. "Well, having the owner of one of the most powerful companies in all of Japan as your future father-in-law does come with its perks."

"So this means that they're not going to let her go into a university." The magnitude of it hit her like a bullet train. _I feel terrible now… I kept thinking she wasn't doing anything with her life before. I had no idea._ "That's so wrong. Jeanne _loves_ learning!"

"She wanted to be a literary scholar after college…" he remarked sadly. "Now she's going to be relegated to producing and raising little Tao heirs for the rest of her life instead." He waved forlornly at Jeanne from across the cafeteria.

Pirika couldn't help noticing the way his arm looked like it was restraining itself from reaching out, his fingers shaking slightly and his forced smile waning before he lowered his hand. 

_Yearning, wanting to be with her, but never able to._

* * *

"Oi, Dr. Tao. How are you doing today?" The crusty, stout security guard smiled up at her.

"I'm doing fine, Ponchi." She flashed him her ID badge.

"'S your eighth time this week visitin' the fifth floor. Kind of odd, don'tcha think?" he remarked, trying to make it look like an off handed comment as he passed her badge back to her.

"What _I_ find odd in this situation is how you are keeping track of how often I enter and leave the intensive care unit on a weekly basis, Mr. Tanuki."

Ponchi paled and cowered behind his desk. "I'd never do that or sumthin' of the like, doc!"

"Good. Good." He swung the door open for her as she stepped through it. "I'd hate to look for a new security guard so late in the year."

Ponchi yelped and dove under his desk, slamming the door shut on his way down.

She inhaled slowly and proceeded towards the only patient that was on the entire fifth floor and repeated to herself what Yoh had told her earlier that day:

_Hey, Dr. Tao, I found this great article online. According to it, studies have shown that comatose patients respond to when you verbally speak to them. Like _really _speak to them. As in conversing with them. It helps stimulate any brain wave activity they have left._

_But surely it is only for MCS cases?_

_The nurse shrugged. It still wouldn't hurt to try._

"Five years," she whispered under the flickering fluorescent lights. She approached the bed with the still figure in it.

"Hello, Pailong. I'm visiting you today again. According to that idiotic Ponchi I told you about the other time, this is my eighth visit this week. I hope you don't terribly mind. On the way up here, I saw that it was snowing. You would love it."

* * *

_But if you'll really hold me tight, all the way home I'll be warm._

* * *

**A/N**: so this marks the first of four chapters that I will be updating daily. Yes, that's right people. _**DAILY**_. so i would advise you to add this story or myself to your **alerts**. this is going to be either really fun or one helluva bitch considering that my final exams are coming up and all. hopefully, i can stick to my schedule. after chapter 5 of this story, i will be releasing updates _**EVERY OTHER DAY**_ until the end of _Critical Condition _(chapter 12). this is a lot of work and a big commitment so how'zabout you **review**, guys? ;) it would be much appreciated. think of it like an early christmas present! i'm extremely thrilled by the feedback i'm already getting from the first two chapters! happy days to you all =)

**IMPORTANT**: since it seems that the bedtime story Pirika told in the previous chapter was a hit, i will be taking suggestions and choosing the best idea for her next bedtime story for Redseb and Seyram! all you have to do is post a pairing or a character that has been mentioned in the story so far in your review, give me a basic idea or premise to work with, and voila, i will use your suggestion in the next chapter! fun times for all =)

**also**: if you dug the LysergJeanne pairing hinted at in chapter 2, check out my latest short shot in _My Commensal_ or _Camera Obscura _which features more LysergJeanne love =)


	4. Christmas Wish

**4. Christmas Wish**

"Did you see?"

"Yeah, I just got out of the elevator when I saw."

"What do you think happened?"

"The apocalypse. Definitely the apocalypse."

"Ha. I thought hell would freeze over before I would live to see the day…"

"Do you suppose something is wrong?"

"Probably. I mean, this has never happened before. In all of the hospital's history. And I've been working here since Funbari had its grand opening!"

"Do you think it's drugs?"

The entire staff of Funbari Hill Hospital chattered quietly and fiercely on every floor as soon as she walked by. At first, when each nurse, doctor, janitor, secretary, receptionist, security guard and employee heard the rumor, they flat out refused to believe it. Only when she walked by did their jaws drop and hit the floor and their eyes bug out.

Dr. Tao was _smiling_. Granted, it was nothing compared to Yoh's grin on a particularly beautiful day or Pirika's own after a decent conquest at the mall (which was more akin to a horrifying rictus than anything else). It was only a small, slight smile that would have been unnoticeable to anyone on the street. However, this was more than enough to send the entire hospital into a chaotic, gossiping madhouse.

Because Dr. Tao was (_gulp_) _happy_. Cue collective gasp.

However, that wasn't the scariest part. The most terrifying bit was that no one knew why she was acting so…so…mentally unstable (mentally unstable for Jun, that is). When each staff member was interrogated, each admitted to not having the slightest clue. All, that is, except for one Yoh Asakura who, when asked, simply responded with "Ah, so she finally read the article" and refused to comment any further.

"She's in a good mood!"

"I know, right? She didn't yell at me for once. And she's been yelling at me every single day of my life ever since I started working here…"

"Someone on the second floor heard her humming. _Humming!_ You know what that means...Tao actually listens to upbeat music! She's human after all!"

"I've yet to see her even glare at anyone too!"

And thus, the staff was very, very content to just let her be even if they didn't know the mysterious reason as to why the dragon lady Tao was so happy.

Well, that is until…

"Pirika? Pirika! No. No. No! Don't—!"

"What…what is she doing?"

"She's going to talk to Tao!"

"Shoot, what if the dragon lady snaps out of it?"

"What if she gets mad that Pirika is interrupting whatever she's thinking about?"

"Usui'll get the boot!"

"Pirika, come back!"

The Ainu girl, completely oblivious to everyone's pleas, continued to approach the doctor to inform her that she was running four patients late. _Oh man, I don't want to ruin her good mood but the hospital is getting backed up._ She braced herself for impact. _She's going to kill me!_

"Er, d-doctor…" She hesitantly reached forward to tentatively tap Jun on the shoulder.

"Yes, Pirika?" Dr. Tao responded serenely.

_WHAT. THE. HELL. She's NEVER called me by my first name_. "Uh…you're four patients behind schedule…" She closed her eyes and prayed to God that she wouldn't go _too _ballistic.

"Ah." Jun blinked. "Thank you for telling me. I'll go tend to that right away." And with that, the doctor walked away.

"What in the _world_?" Pirika gaped. "I thought…I thought…I thought I was a goner for sure!"

"It's a Christmas miracle," Yoh said laughingly, patting her on the back.

"Indeed…"

* * *

"You look funny." Redseb stared at him.

Horohoro stared back. "Thanks?"

"What are you doing in here anyways? Are you a nurse too?" the little boy inquired innocently.

"Wha…n-nurse...?" he spluttered indignantly. "Hell no! That's a _girl's_ job."

Seyram glared at him while Redseb frowned. "Hey, it's not! Mr. Asakura is a nurse and _he's_ a boy." Seyram stuck her tongue out at the blue haired newcomer.

"Kids…what are you doing?" Tamao asked sleepily as she walked into the room. "Eep! Oh, I-I'm s-sorry, is…is this the wrong r-room?" Her hands quickly flew to her face in embarrassment after she saw Horohoro.

"Naw, it's not. This weird guy came in here a few minutes ago!" Redseb called from the bed.

Horohoro sighed. "Sorry. I was just told that my sister was supposed to be assigned to this room later today so…" He shrugged.

"Sister?" Redseb leaned forward and studied him closely. "Oh! You're the nurse's brother! You two have the same hair color," he observed. "Why are you visiting her?"

"Well, I majorly screwed up a few weeks ago. And she got mad. So I'm here to apologize." He lifted up his foot and tapped it. "Look, I even brought comfortable walking shoes for when she demands that I got shopping with her as punishment."

Redseb threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. "How could you possibly be mean to her? She's so nice to us!" he exclaimed as Seyram nodded her approval. "She tells us bedtime stories every night!"

"I wasn't mean to her! It's because I told her a few years ago that I…argh, why am I even telling you this? You're just a kid." Redseb crossed his arms in front of him. "Anyways, the bottom line is that I need to find a job to make it up to her. I've been putting all the responsibility on her for too long…" His voice trailed off sadly.

A barely audible squeak came from behind him. "Ah…Pardon me…I don't m-mean to interfere or anything…but…but did you say that you were looking for a job?" Tamao asked timidly. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop!" she exclaimed in her mouse-like voice, throwing her arms up as if to shield herself.

"Yeah. But it's too late in the year to even think of finding a one. No one's employing, especially around Christmastime…" He sighed.

"The…the orphanage that I work at is looking for some volunteers…I don't mean to d-dictate what job you will pick and…and it doesn't pay very much…but we are hiring…only i-if you want though…" she stuttered out softly as she nervously passed him a business card.

Horohoro's eyes widened. "Seriously? That would be great if you could hook me up with a job! Sweet!" He broke into a grin and he pocketed the card. "I owe you one!" He began bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet excitedly, hardly able to contain himself. "Ah, screw it, I'm not going to tell Pirika about this right now! Dang, she's going to be surprised when she finds out!" He turned to Tamao again before he went out the door. "Thank you so much again!"

After he left, Tamao breathed a sigh of relief.

Redseb glared at her, his eye twitching madly. "Tamao! What are you doing? The first person you tell about the openings at the orphanage is _him_? You just hired a _crazy_ person to be working at the orphanage!"

Tamao frowned and her brows knit together. "H-He looked so desperate for a job though! And…and it's the holidays. E-Everyone needs a Christmas miracle every now and then."

* * *

"So…someone's happy," Yoh cheerfully remarked as Jun joined him in the cafeteria.

"Is that a crime?" She took a seat across from him.

"I took it you tried conversing with him?"

She nodded. "Thank you for the article. It really is working. I…" She bit her lip and looked down at her plate.

"You…?" He stirred his coffee.

"It's silly. You would laugh. And it's such a wild theory that I fear many of the nurses and doctors will think that I'm being ludicrous." She shook her head.

"Doctor, it's just me. You know how I am." He smiled at her. "I'm all ears."

"You're rather peculiar sometimes, Asakura." She looked at him skeptically. "I suppose. After trying this for several weeks…I…I have reason to believe that perhaps…" She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this. I have reason to believe that perhaps Pailong is in a minimally conscious state."

Yoh blinked several times in disbelief. "R-Really? You think he's MCS? But the folks over at St. Luke's International Hospital said that he was already in a persistent vegetative state when they sent him over to us." He raised his eyebrows. "Wow…"

Jun pursed her lips. "I know. And I will sound like a complete fool if I even propose that to the X-LAWS. St. Luke's International has better facilities, more advanced technology for testing…there's no way they can be wrong." She frowned at her sandwich. "And even if I was right, we don't have nearly the adequate equipment nor the funds to perform deep brain stimulation so he can regain his normal body functions."

"DBS is really expensive since it's new and all, huh? X-LAWS isn't going to like it because…well…you know…"

"Because…yeah…" Jun closed her eyes and pushed her plate away. "I'm wrong. There's no way he can be in an MCS. Just wishful thinking on my part."

"You never know." Yoh grinned.

"What are you implying?"

"Maybe it'll be a Christmas miracle." He leaned back in his chair.

"Please. We work in a hospital. Not at Disneyland," she scoffed.

"There's always a chance he'll wake up."

"That is so ridiculous I'm not going to even grace it with a response."

He shrugged. "Then what are you doing?" She glared at him. "Why are you attending to him so much if you say that there's no hope? You gotta have hope, doc."

"Of _course_, I want to believe. Of _course_, I want to have hope. My heart is screaming for me to not give up but my mind is…" She looked crestfallen.

"Medicine isn't always about what is rational, doctor. If your gut says that he is in MCS right now and that St. Luke's misdiagnosed him, then I'm willing to bet that you're right. Even if they do have all the equipment and technology and money to do exhaustive tests, we're all human. There's always a possibility that they made a mistake. You're a brilliant and meticulous doctor. It would take a lot for you to be wrong."

She snorted. "Thanks for the pep talk, coach."

He smirked back. "Follow me. I want to show you something."

* * *

"How…how is this possible?" Jun's heartbeat pounded in her ears as her eyes grew large and her breathing became rapid. "No…this…this can't be right…" She staggered back. "It…this doesn't make any sense at _all_!" she exclaimed. "We…No, you see, this is what we need to do. We need to run another test to verify it."

Yoh cleared his throat. "Uh, doc, we've ran three more tests since you came in here."

"We need another one," she snapped.

The patient looked up at her impatiently. "Here's a test for you. Prod my leg right now."

Jun didn't show any indications of doing just that. Yoh poked at the girl's leg with the pen he was holding.

"See. I can _feel_ that. Why can't you accept it already?" she grumbled.

"I can't _accept_ _it already_ because it should be logically and medically and scientifically and just outright _impossible_," the doctor growled back.

The patient scowled in response.

"When you arrived at the hospital, we ran exhaustive tests and each one told us that all the nerves in your legs are shot and you would never be able to make use of them again."

Yoh's hand immediately went to rest on the patient's shoulder in an unconscious effort to comfort her.

"You're supposed to be paralyzed from the waist down!"

He could feel the girl stiffen after Jun spat out those words.

"And now this…this _fluke_ you came across is saying that, at the rate your legs have regained sensation and healed, you'll be able to move them by next year?"

"R-Really?" The patient looked almost hopeful.

"Perhaps the exhaustive tests were…_mistaken_." Yoh shot a look at the Tao girl. She shot daggers through her glare back at him.

"This…how…can…this is a…I don't even know…" Jun whispered, her fingers beginning to run through her hair.

"I believe this is called a _miracle_."

* * *

"So finals are coming up?"

Jeanne nodded and dramatically sighed, placing the back of her hand to her forehead. "How ever stressful for me." She smiled at him, tilting her head playfully to the side.

"Don't worry, college is much more fun than high school—" Lyserg shut himself up after he saw Jeanne's eyes go empty. _Shoot, I forgot…she won't be going to college since—_

"Jeanne!" A curt bark echoed through the semi-abandoned hallway.

The girl's mouth formed an O of surprise as she turned around. "Ah, R-Ren!" She smoothed her skirts out and instinctively her hands flew to her hair.

Her fiancée looked bored. "After your shift is over the driver is waiting for you outside." He checked the time on his platinum plated watch. "And please, try not to be late this time."

She tried her best to smile and nod obediently before he turned around sharply and left.

"Why."

She looked down at Lyserg who looked like he was ready to explode. "Hm?"

"Why, Jeanne? Why are you…just _why_? Why are you letting him treat you like that? Why are you getting married? Why won't you let your heart guide your actions instead of what you think is your duty to your family? Why are you sacrificing what you love for something that doesn't, that can't, that _won't_ love _you_ back? But most of all, why can't you see that someone who loves you truly, madly, and deeply is right in front of you and is willing to give all he has for you?"

Wouldn't it be great if Lyserg actually said that? It would be, wouldn't it?

Instead, we get this:

"Uh…er…I said why is Ren so rude sometimes." Lyserg cleared his throat awkwardly. _Damn, boy, can't you grow a spine?_

She frowned. "Ren…Ren isn't all that rude. In fact, he's rather polite and kind when he wants to be—"

"So in other words, _never_," he mumbled under his breath.

"And…and he will be a good husband and an excellent provider for myself and the heir I will produce for him." Her eyes looked like they were going to spill over with tears but the rest of her face remained expressionless.

"I know that but…you didn't mention once that you both loved each other. That's what I'm concerned about. None of the reasons you gave explained why you always look so flustered and keep checking your appearance around him. Or why you look so scared and anxious every time he calls your name. Or why you get so quiet around him." He sighed. "I just want to know _why_."

She had been standing perfectly still the entire time. "I…It's because…I…I _need_ him to approve of me. I'm assigning so much of…of my self-worth to whether he is happy or not…and I'm scared to find out if he…doesn't," she said quietly. "That is all."

"And you're willing to give up going to a university and studying literature for marrying him…"

"I—"

"You're giving up going to _Yale_."

She drew her lips together. "I didn't want to go there that much anyways."

"Jeanne, when you came back from visiting Yale, you…you had this look on your face like…" He inhaled deeply and exhaled. "You had the same look on your face when you're reading Tolstoy or…or Dante. Or Joyce or Sophocles. Or…writing a literary analysis on Nabokov or explicating a…a Housman poem."

She closed her eyes but kept her arms at her sides. "And what look would that be?" she whispered, her eyes pleading him not to say it.

He sighed and looked at the floor before he spoke.

"You looked like you were in love."

* * *

"Do you think she's right?" The girl took a large chomp out of the remains of the chocolate bar Yoh had given to her after Dr. Tao had marched out of the room.

"About…?" He took out an arm strap. "Blood pressure time."

"That I'll be able to walk again…" Her voice trailed off and hitched near the end of her sentence as the Velcro constricted tightly around her arm.

"I wholeheartedly believe so. See, science and logic said that you wouldn't be able to even feel when someone touches you. The nerves in your legs were supposedly shot but… see what happens when you have a little hope?" He removed the arm band and recorded the results on the clipboard. "Temperature." He opened a new thermometer. "I'm a firm believer that your mental state directly affects your health: how quickly you recover, how susceptible you are to further ailing… you know." He looked at the degrees the little plastic device returned to him. "As long as you stay positive and optimistic and don't get too down on yourself, you should be well on your way back to recovery."

"Huh." She reclined back into bed. "That's…"

"Nothing short of miraculous." He smiled. "IV drip."

"Will you read to me again?"

"Of course." He scribbled down a few more stats he collected. "Hmm."

"What?"

"Your vitals have greatly improved over the past few weeks." She simply tapped a paperback book on the table next to the bed. "Where we left off from last time?" She nodded as he opened Lewis Carroll's _Alice in Wonderland_ and began to read.

"_Just at this moment her head struck against the roof of the hall: in fact she was now rather more than nine feet high, and she at once took up the little golden key and hurried off to the garden door_," he read slowly.

"Poor Alice," the girl murmured, her voice sounding breathy.

"_Poor Alice! It was as much as she could do, lying down on one side, to look through into the garden with one eye; but to get through was more hopeless than ever: she sat down and began to cry again_."

"She cries too much."

"'_You ought to be ashamed of yourself,' said Alice, 'a great girl like you,' (she might well say this), 'to go on crying in this way! Stop this moment, I tell you!_'"

"But she couldn't order her emotions around like that. No one could…" The girl's voice sounded tired.

"_But she went on all the same, shedding gallons of tears, until there was a large pool all round her, about four inches deep, and reaching half down the hall_." He stopped reading when her small, frail hand, still covered in semi-healed wounds, darted out and seized him by the wrist.

"That's enough…" Her eyelids fluttered delicately as she tried to fight sleep.

He closed the book and put it back on the night stand. "_Alice in Wonderland_? A bit childlike for someone of your literary prowess," he teased.

She closed her eyes. "Not childish at all. The book is riddled with allusions and references that scholars today still don't fully understand. Carroll was as complex as the book itself. He was labeled a pedophile, questioned to be a drug abuser, and marked off as anti-social by his contemporaries."

He nodded.

She tried to keep talking, her lips barely moving as she lost all of her energy to stay awake. "Carroll has a wonderful control over imagery and word choice. He makes it so that she is literally drowning herself in her tears. Her sadness. Her weakness. They were to be the death of her if she hadn't somehow stopped."

"Why was she so sad?" Yoh began to slowly stand up from the bed.

"Because…she didn't know what had become of her surroundings. Her world was…upside down. Or perhaps…she didn't know what had become of herself…" And with that, the girl dozed off.

He smiled down over her small, sleeping form. "Good night."

"_Asakura_!" came a hiss from the door.

He whirled around. "Tao?"

"Come here," she commanded through clenched teeth.

He joined her outside the room. "What is it?"

"The _police_ are here to ask you questions."

"Ah…how can I help you tonight, officers?"

"Hello, Mr. Asakura. You are in charge of the patient here in 207, right?" He nodded, eyeing the bright yellow _GANDHARA_ unit name that was emblazoned across their left breast pocket of their uniforms. "We'd like to talk to you about her. Our HQ up in Mount Osore just got information regarding her injuries." The two officers exchanged uncomfortable looks. "This new information will make it into a police case. A very serious one."

"Go on." Yoh felt like he was muddling through a daze.

"Apparently as she was walking down an abandoned road, she was assaulted and beaten almost to death by her attackers. It was a miracle she even survived."

* * *

_If I could give any gift I wanted, a present to every boy and girl, I'd make it a miracle that came from God above_.

* * *

**A/N**: a thousand, a thousand pardons for not updating yesterday! i just found out that i had a huge essay due the following day and...ugh. i'm very sorry that i wasn't able to keep up with my promise =( forgive me?

_**REVIEW**_? =) YES? REVIEW? YAY!

coming up next chapter: a little background history on...everyone: what exactly happened with the Usui family? what about Seyram and Redseb's parents? how did Pailong end up in a coma? what made Tamao start volunteering at an orphanage? and, most importantly, what the heck happened to Anna?

also: looking for more ideas for Pirika's next bedtime story (in the next chapter!). so far, i have a request for a YohAnna one, but that'll have to wait a couple more chapters...

don't forget to leave a review ;)


	5. All I Want For Christmas Is You

**Dedication: **To my regular reviewers. You all are the only reason I'm still sane. Truly.

* * *

**5. All I Want For Christmas Is You**

Yoh stared at the voicemail his grandfather had left him several weeks ago. "Still nothing…" he sighed. "You'd think she would've arrived by now."

"What do you keep blabbering on about?" Matilda asked, clearly annoyed. "_Some_ of us are trying to work here."

"Ah, sorry. I just was thinking…Macchi, can you check if there are any critical condition cases scheduled in the next few weeks or so? Since you're already on the database."

She glared back at him. "Tao assigned me to data entry."

He grimaced in sympathy. "Ouch. What did you do to deserve that?"

"Absolutely nothing! There I was, just mindin' my own business during my smoke break and then _BAM!_" She smacked the side of the desk she was sitting in front of. "Out of nowhere, Tao comes _shootin_' out and tells me I'm doing data entry for the next couple o' weeks." She shook her head bitterly. "No justice, no justice, I tell ya." Her fingers flew over the keyboard. "CC cases you asked?"

He nodded. "My grandpa told me that a girl he adopted should've been moved down here from Mount Osore but…"

Matilda's brows furrowed. "Nope, there aren't any. No crit conditions scheduled within the next two months. No crit conditions that arrived in the past few weeks. Except for Miss Prissy on the second floor." The orange haired nurse scowled. "I swear, when I go target practicing with Jack," she said, referring to her shotgun, "I pretend the bull's-eye is her face—"

Something within Yoh rose up. "_Hey_, watch it. She never did anything to you. Back off," he warned.

Matilda gave him a simpering smile. "Hmm…someone's getting real defensive. Don't get your panties in a bunch, Asakura, I was only kidding." She clicked out of the database. "I _am_ a nurse after all."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just getting a little worried that she hasn't come in yet. Didn't mean to take it out on you."

She simply snorted. "Yeah, whatever. I'm going out to buy a pack of smokes. I can't stand another minute of being in front of this goddamn computer screen." She grabbed her coat and purse and proceeded towards the door. "I'm outta here."

Yoh sighed. "She should stop that habit. She _is_ a nurse after all." He turned around as he heard approaching footsteps from behind.

"Er, Asakura…" Dr. Tao tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"What can I help you with, doc?" Yoh rubbed his latex gloved hands onto his scrubs, smiling.

The green haired woman was clearly uncomfortable. "Ah…ICU patient refuses to be attended to." She adjusted the clipboard she was carrying, her mouth pressed into a straight line.

Yoh blinked. _This is a first. Tao asking for help. Asking a lowly nurse too! Must say that it doesn't suit her. _ He laughed inwardly at the prospect of the proud doctor who refused all offers of help every single time during all three years of Yoh's stay at Funbari Hill Hospital. "Um…"

She looked away. "She won't take her meds, she refuses any treatment, and she turns away all food. She hasn't eaten in forty-eight hours."

He cocked his head. "And…what do I have to do with it?"

Jun clenched her teeth momentarily. "She won't let anyone attend to her…except for you."

"What?"

"She always asks for you." Jun furrowed her brows.

Yoh leaned onto a nearby desk as she passed him the patient's clipboard. "Who exactly is in the intensive care unit?" _From my knowledge, only Pailong was up there._

"The girl you had been watching over for the past few weeks…" She looked down at the file. "Anna. Kyoyama Anna."

"Ah, so _that's _her name."

Dr. Tao made a face of confusion and shrugged. "Regardless, get to it, Asakura."

He nodded and disappeared into the elevator.

"So…Anna," he said carefully, testing out her name. He looked down at her file for the first time since she had been moved to Funbari Hill. Schizophrenia. Bouts of seizures provoked by strong emotions. Critical condition. "I hear you're not taking your meds? And not eating?"

The frail girl remained silent in bed.

"You need to do both if you want to get better." He walked over to the chair near her bedside and sat down, hunched over as he clasped his hands together in front of him.

"I don't want to get better."

He frowned. "Why not? If you get better then you can go home."

She stared out the window, the back of her head towards him. "Exactly."

He scooted closer to her, his concern now piqued. "Are you having problems at home, Anna?"

He heard her sigh. "I ended up here…like this…because of the people at home." She turned towards him, allowing Yoh to see her face for the first time. "You were the first person to treat me like…a person," she said, her voice even keel.

"What do you mean?"

"Even the nurses and doctors here treat me like I'm some kind of specimen. You…" She turned away from him again. "Talked to me."

"Anna…"

She looked at him unflinchingly, her body seemingly too delicate for the sheer determination in her eyes.

"Please let me stay here…with you," she whispered as two birds flew from the tree outside her window.

* * *

"You're absolutely certain about this?" An eyebrow went up.

The man who had reported it nodded. "Absolutely. Saw her with my own two eyes."

Eyes were narrowed. "It's almost unbelievable that any human being would be that….stupid." Knuckles were cracked. "Didn't we make it clear that she _would_ die if she ever came back?"

The man shrugged in response. "It _is_ Anna Kyoyama after all. Can't understand how her brain works."

"Interesting, interesting…"

"That little bitch is back here again."

"How could I be so foolish," Anna muttered under her breath, tightening the scarf around her neck to fend off the approaching cold. "The sun is setting and I'm still on the mountain trail." She tried her best not to think about the wild animal attacks. _Though, I'd rather have that happen than whatever the villagers have in store if they ever saw me around these parts…_

Anna had returned to Mount Osore to pay respects to her mother's grave as usual whenever it was November. _The month she died…or so I was informed_. Anna swung her legs a little faster, walking as fast as she could before the quickly departing sun totally abandoned her. Anna's mother wasn't allowed to be buried in the village cemetery like all the other deceased considering she had been outcast long ago. Thus, her body had been dumped in the mountains where dead common criminals and petty thieves were thrown out as their final resting place.

_Almost there, as soon as I reach the foot of the mountain, I'll be safe. The train station should be close by – _In her haste, she stumbled over a loose tree root, effectively twisting her ankle. "No!" she hissed as her hands flew to her leg. "No, this can't happen!" The sun dipped down further behind the mountains. She tried pushing herself up and tested out putting pressure on her injured leg. She clenched her jaw and sunk back down to the ground, the pain shooting up her leg proving to be too much for her. "I have to get back down, I have to get back down," she kept whispering. "Otherwise—" She froze, her fingers trembling. "No…please…" She heard a voice approaching her. "They can't see me, they'll kill me…"

A pinprick of light flickered in the distance, growing larger as the person carrying it approached her. "Who is it?"

"Please, help me," she implored, bowing her head so that the person couldn't see her face.

"Alright, let's get you up." The stranger put down the lantern and heaved her to her feet. She instantly recoiled in pain as her ankle throbbed angrily. "Ah, hurt your leg, have you? Don't worry, my house is just over there," he reassured her, pointing to the grove of trees just a little down the road. He picked up his lantern again before they began their trek.

"Thank you very much." She kept her neck bent down, her hair falling to either side of her face to conceal her identity.

The man shook his head. "No problem. How did you even get yourself into this mess?" he asked lightheartedly, adjusting his grip on the girl as they continued down the trail.

Anna heard a chorus of shouts from behind. _It's them_. Her throat tightened. "I was just returning from the mountains…" Her heart began pounding and she could barely concentrate on dragging her feet forwards.

She felt the man stiffen up. "The mountains…Odd, no one ever goes to the mountains since there's nothing there…aside from the…graves of…the outcasts…" With each word he said, he forced the pair of them to slow down until they came to a complete stop. Anna tightened her fists. "Who are you?" he demanded, roughly turning her face and raising his lantern.

She glared back at him in anger as he dropped the lantern.

"It…It…You!" He backed away quickly. "I can't believe I was helping you!" He staggered backwards, stumbling on his own feet, his face inundated with terror.

"No, you don't understand! Please, don't leave me," she called, forcing herself to go after him.

"Get away from me!" The man finally regained his balance and ran as fast as he could, disappearing through the trees and into his house.

Anna heard the yells grow louder, able to discern that an entire crowd was approaching. "No! Don't!" She somehow managed to follow him and reached his doorstep.

The man hurriedly slammed it in her face, locking it for added security.

"_No! Please!_ Don't lock me out of—! _No_! I'm begging you! Don't leave me here alone! I can't be with them. _No!_ _Don't leave me outside by myself!_"

"What don't you understand? We don't want you here, we never did, and we never will. It's your problem if you can't find a place to stay during the winter, you…you…you demon!" she heard the man call from the inside of his house. "Now leave this place at once!"

Her entire body began shaking and she fell to her knees, her fists that had been banging on the door falling limp to her sides. "I can't…I can't…"

The shouts reached a crescendo and she found herself flying backwards as a pair of crude hands seized her and yanked her back.

"So you didn't understand when we told you the first time. We were being serious." Anna had been shoved onto her back and she looked up blankly at the faces jeering down at her. "We…will…_kill_…you."

"I didn't mean to…I didn't mean to…I swear I didn't mean to…I'm sorry," she whispered into the air.

"Apologies are not enough." The crowd loudly agreed. "And we always make good on our promises."

Someone kicked her in her side, knocking the wind out of her as another brought something hard slamming down onto her forehead. She felt blood rushing to her head and the warm red liquid began pooling out of the wound. The last thing she heard before blacking out were the chants of _Kill her, kill her_ echoing around her.

Those were only the first of many, many blows and injuries she was to sustain that violent night.

* * *

Yoh clenched the sides of the table as the Gandhara officer finished his story. "Why…"

The police officer frowned in sympathy. "Why did she not tell us when she was found left to die the following morning?"

"We were told that she had been involved in a hit and run accident…" Yoh whispered.

"Everyone was told that – the police up north, the hospital in Mount Osore, us, you guys… The only reason we found out was because a witness _just_ reported the incident. Some person named…" He looked down at the report. "Matamune."

"Thank God he reported it." Yoh shook his head. "Why didn't she tell us what really happened? Why did she keep it all from us?"

The officer shrugged. "Who knows. Most probably because she was ashamed. Numerous sources tell us that Kyoyama was labeled as an outcast and was exiled from the village many years ago… both she and her mother were called 'unclean.'"

"That's disgusting. How…how can an entire _village_ of people do that? How can the labeling of dirty, unclean, or rejected people continue now? Into the twenty-first century?" Yoh demanded. "How can things like this happen?"

"That's what we'd like to know as well." The officer clapped him on the back. "Don't worry, the Gandhara and the Osorezan police are working their hardest to bring this case to justice."

"Thank you, officer," Yoh said mindlessly as the other man departed.

* * *

"Pirika!" Redseb called as he put the finishing touches on his letter. "We're done!" He grinned at her as she entered the room.

"Ah, that's good," she chirped happily as she collected the letters from the two children. "I'll be sure to drop them off to the mail as soon as possible." She smiled as she read the crude, childish handwriting on the front of both envelopes: _To Santa Claus_. "So what did you two wish for this year?" She pocketed both.

"Can't tell or else Santa won't deliver our presents!" Redseb in a _Duh_ kind of voice. Seyram looked at her condescendingly as if _everyone_ should have known that.

She laughed. "Of course, of course." She tapped her lips thoughtfully. "But how about I give both of you an early Christmas present?"

The two children looked up at her in excitement. "Are you going to tell us a _story_?" They bounced up and down in anticipation.

"How did you two guess?" she teased. "Of course." _What am I getting myself into? I'm fresh out of stories… and characters,_ she lamented inwardly. _I've used everyone in this hospital! Just last night I told them a story about Ponchi the security guard!_ She made a face as she remembered _that_ particularly painful tale.

"Well?" they asked impatiently. "Come on, Pirika!"

"Okay, okay. Once upon a time, there was a—"

"_Attention ICU nurses, ICU nurses, please report to the fifth floor to attend to Kyoyama. Again, ICU nurses please report to the fifth floor to attend to Kyoyama Anna._"

Pirika smiled to herself. _Bingo_. "A girl named Anna. But she wasn't just an ordinary girl."

"Was she a princess?" Seyram whispered something into Redseb's ear. "Or fairy godmother like Seyram says?"

She wagged a finger at them. "Wrong and wrong. She was a demon."

The children blinked. Neither of them had ever heard _this_ before.

"When Anna was born, her mother died and she was quickly labeled as an outcast of the village she grew up in. The other villagers, both adults and children, were very cruel to her. Unfortunately, all of this constant torment filled Anna with hatred and she came to be known as the 'village devil.'"

Redseb and Seyram locked their eyes on her, their mouths hanging open.

"On her eighteenth birthday, a…shaman by the name of Hao came to the village." _I always use Hao as the villain…It's beginning to suit him quite nicely. _"He offered the villagers a chance to get rid of Anna—"

"No! Are they going to kill her? They can't kill her!" Redseb cried.

"Don't worry, they won't. Hao promised that if the villagers could get Anna to be locked away in the castle on top of the hill, he would cast a spell that would imprison her there forever. The mob, overjoyed at the prospect of getting rid of the violent girl that had been plaguing their village, quickly agreed and the same night, a mob arrived at Anna's residence. They seized her and bound her and they all went up the hill and threw her into the abandoned castle."

"That's terrible!" Seyram and Redseb looked like they could've exploded on the spot.

"Hao kept his end of the bargain and cast a spell on the castle that would keep her in there until she died. However, Hao for some reason also cast a spell that would let Anna live forever."

The two children tilted their heads to the side in confusion.

"He gave her a beautiful necklace made out of beads. Made out of one thousand eighty beads to be exact he said to her, _For every year that passes, one of these beads will cease to glow. If you do not learn how to love and be loved by the time all of these beads go out, then you will be trapped in this castle for all of eternity and will remain a demon forever_._ If you do, you will be granted new life._"

"Wow, how is she going to get out of that?"

_Good question. How _is_ she going to get out of this_? "Erm…" Outside of the room, she saw Yoh shake his head in disgust as a police officer was talking to him. "Well, you see, one thousand seventy-nine years later, the year before Anna's curse was going to take effect, there was a boy by the name of Yoh who lived in the same village Anna did before she was locked away."

"He's going to save her! I just know it!" Redseb grinned at Seyram. "See? I told you there was nothing to worry about!"

"Anna's story had become that of legend and when Yoh turned eighteen he was told her story. Disgusted by the prospect of what he felt wasn't true and determined to prove that there was a little bit of good in everyone, he decided to go see Anna for himself. So he literally marched up to the castle knocked on the door and prepared himself for whatever was going to happen. To his surprise, a delicate looking, somber girl opened the door. He stayed up in the castle for months on end and he was gone for so long that the villagers had concluded he had been killed. But all of them were too scared to go up to the castle."

"You can't let him die, Pirika!"

She giggled. "I won't. I promise. But, unknown to the villagers, all those months he was absent, Yoh had been trying to get to know the girl. Because after 1098 years of constant hatred and isolation was hard to break down. But over time, Yoh's efforts paid off and the two began to slowly but surely fall in love."

Seyram nodded approvingly.

"But, there's a twist. Hao, the same shaman that imprisoned her in the castle more than a thousand years ago, had been reincarnated. Yoh discovered after his numerous conversations with Anna that the real reason Hao imprisoned her was because he was scared."

"Scared?"

"Yup. He was scared because he had been trying to get a bunch of the villages in the region under his control. Anna, as a powerful demon, was the only one strong enough who could have stopped him. When he saw how much the villagers hated her, he realized that it was his chance to eliminate her as a threat. More than a thousand years later, he was reincarnated and also saw that if Yoh was able to free Anna by teaching her about love, then his power would be in danger again."

"This is so intense!" Redseb whispered to his sister.

"So he rallied the villagers and convinced them to try to kill Anna in the castle. Anna and Yoh were able to fend off the attack but Hao, still a very strong shaman, revealed that he was in control of…" Pirika paused dramatically. "A fire god!" She threw her hands up to emphasize the magnitude of the situation.

The two children clapped.

"Thank you, thank you, you're all too kind. Anyways, Anna was able to perform a ritual that sealed both Hao and the fire god away. But!"

"But?'

"But, but, but! The sealing required her to give up her life!"

"Pirika, I said you can't let either of them die!" Redseb complained.

She ruffled his hair. "Relax. As she lay dying in Yoh's arms, she held up the necklace as the very last bead's light went out. It had also been the last day she could've broken the curse so she was pretty much screwed either way. Before she drew her final breath, Yoh, unable to contain himself, yelled out that he loved her. Miraculously, Anna breathing grew steadier, color returned to her face, she grew stronger. They both realized that Yoh, through his confession, was able to break the curse and literally grant her new life. Overjoyed, Yoh brought her out of the castle for the first time in hundreds of years, and calmed down the villagers. Eventually both of them got married, had a child, and…?" She looked at them expectantly.

"Lived happily ever after!" Redseb burst out. Seyram gave a brief and small smile.

"How was that?"

"Best Christmas present ever!" They both nodded. "We like how you used Yoh in the story."

Pirika smiled fondly. "I'm glad you liked it." She patted her pocket as she stood up from the chair. "I'll go deliver this now."

As she exited the room, she bumped into someone. "S—" She looked up. _Are you kidding? Him again? Why him? Why can't I bump into someone more…normal?_

"You still haven't learned to be more careful I see," he remarked acidly.

"Maybe if you weren't creeping by the room I was in, this wouldn't have happened." She turned on her heel, intending on not even giving him a chance to put down her dignity yet again.

Unfortunately for her, he began following her. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

"None of your business." She drew the two letters out of her pocket.

"You're quite the story teller."

She stopped in her tracks and whirled around. "_What._"

"I heard the story you told the children. It was rather interesting."

She thrust a finger and prodded him in the chest with each word she said. "What. Gives. You. The. Right. To. Be. Eavesdropping. On. Me." She poked him rather hard on the last word. "And why were you even listening to me? I thought I was just a _lowly nurse_ who was going to get crap all over your Gucci suit."

"Armani. I never wear Gucci." She snorted. "And I was just going to say that you're rather good and imaginative at coming up with stories." He narrowed his eyes. "But now I suppose I will have to retract that compliment and reiterate your point: You're just a lowly nurse that is going to get crap all over my _Armani_ suit," he said sarcastically.

She gave him a final glare before resuming her walking. "Whatever." She opened the letters.

"What are those?"

She threw her hands up in defeat. "_Why_ are you still following me?" He simply looked at her. "I give up. They're just letters that the children wrote."

"For what?" He adjusted his tie.

"Well, this year we're having a fundraiser and a toy drive for the children in the hospital and in the nearby orphanage. And we figured that we'd tell them to write letters to Santa, take them, read what they wished for and use the funds to buy whatever they asked for." She waved her hand at him. "This is all probably _very _boring to you."

"So you're breaching their privacy?"

She chose to ignore his last comment. "Let's see…" She tore both of the envelopes open and plucked the letters out. "Huh, doesn't look like they wrote a lot." She unfolded them.

"So what did they ask for?"

Pirika's face fell as she finished reading them.

"Hmm?"

She refolded both of the children's letters and stuffed it back into her pocket.

"Hello?"

Her eyes were empty and downcast.

"Nurse?"

"They…" Her voice caught in her throat. "They wished for their parents back."

* * *

_I don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree._

_

* * *

_**A/N**: so i'm kind of sad i missed NaNo by just a few weeks but in other news HOW IS THIS CHAPTER SO LONG. okay so i have no idea how this story is going to progress now, considering i only answered one of the many questions I proposed last chapter. oh noes. but this is getting fun. ahh, thanks for the concern over my final exams guys eheh =)

and some of you *ahemahem tfg ahem =P * are absolutely crazy! i got reviews for the last chapter in like an hour or two. i hope you guys aren't checking too much to see if i'm updating this pathetic little story of mine -_- i wish i could write better for y'all but unfortunately i'm rather mediocre eheh. but THANK YOU SO MUCH for continuing to read/favorite/alert/review it! it all means so much to me!

i'd love to hear what you think! =) happy days!

so i realized that my profile contains only my stories and nothing about myself so i guess i'll just post that stuff here: fact number 1: i never have and never will have an outline for what's going to happen in my stories (other than _YatO_). i have a vague idea of the beginning and end and few lines that i for sure will use. the rest of the story is an attempt to connect those lines coherently/written around those three or four lines. aka i'm a terrible writer D:

**edit 08/02/10**: bahaha I retract that preceding statement: it works for me! And I'm perfectly happy with writing without an outline. Anyways, if you're new to this story or are crazy and decided to reread this entire thing, I've been putting a couple o' revisions here and there just to make things flow better and whatnot. Also, I use Matilda and Macchi interchangeably.


	6. Winter Wonderland

**Dedication**: to my wonderful regular reviewers who keep me writing. and to my close friends who just recently found out they were admitted to Darthmouth, Cornell , UPenn, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. congrats to you all! you deserve it and i love you!

* * *

**6. Winter Wonderland**

"I remember back in high school, we'd have those silly get togethers teenage girls always have," Jun reminisced, another rare smile gracing her lips. "I'd always endure watching those cheesy chick flicks with my friends. They'd gush over them for the rest of the night. I tried pretending I liked them too."

She shook her head and laughed. "I always found them to be rather dull. Always the same to me. I would wait every time for the other girls to fall asleep and then I would go back to the living room and watch every single one of your movies. I had fallen in love with them: the plot, the scenery, the acting, the fight scenes, the combat choreography. I loved your movies and I loved watching you in them." She clasped her hands in front of her. "I was a one hundred percent kung fu movie nerd. Hard to believe, right?" Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his hand lightly squeeze her own.

_You can't be a dying man. You are much too alive to me._

_

* * *

Five Years Ago—Christmas Eve_

"He's taking up too much money and space in the hospital," Nichrom barked. "We need to get rid of him."

"Yes, doctor. But what shall we do with him?"

"I don't know, send him to one of the smaller hospitals. Doesn't matter to me." He waved his hand. "Tao, what are you still doing here?"

Jun stared back at him. "I'm just getting the rest of my stuff…sir," she forced herself to say.

Nichrom paused in what he was doing to fully study her. "Ah, I see, you're still upset that we're shipping you off to Funbari Hill. Is that it?"

"What gave you that idea, _sir_?" She tossed in the remaining of the supplies on her desk into a cardboard box.

"Well, if _I_ were an extremely bright doctor who just underwent eleven years studying and training in China's hardest and most competitive medical institute and if _I _were told that I would not be working at the hospital I had been dreaming of working at all my life…then I would be equally as pissed," he lectured. "Nothing to be ashamed about."

"The only thing that I am bitter about is that they _promised_ I would be able to work at St. Luke's International Hospital. Not in some godforsaken regional branch!" she declared, slamming the box on top of her desk.

"We must all make sacrifices for the common good—"

"For God's sakes, we interned together, Nichrom. We reviewed each other for the MCATs. Hell, I even edited your application to medical school," she hissed. "I can't believe you would sell me out like that."

"We must all make sacrifices for the common good…_Dr. Tao_," he replied snippily. "St. Luke's is obviously not meant for you."

"Well, _Dr. Patch_, I hope you do realize that the only reason why they decided to keep you instead of me is because of the mere reason you went to medical school in _America_. Not because of skill," she sniffed as she took the box up into her hands. "Good day."

She stalked out of his office (_It would've been _my_ office if they weren't so biased!_ she thought angrily). "It was a good couple of months," she sighed as she looked around the lobby, trying to soak in the sweeping arches of the hospital's architecture, the glass and steel accents in every room. "Now I remember why I wanted to work here so badly…"

Jun passed by a technician struggling with a cart. "Hey, Dr. Tao!" he called.

She gave a half-hearted wave in response. "What's this?"

"Ah, new refractor, straight out of Germany. Heard that the German hospitals just got theirs a week ago!" He smiled. "St. Luke's is always on top of all the newest technology."

She tried to look cheerful. "They sure are…" _Yet another reason why I feel in love with this place back when I was in high school_.

"Tao! Tao!" She turned around to see Nichrom's little lackey running towards her.

"What do you want? Did Nichrom tell you to spit on me on my way out?" she asked in a bored tone, half-expecting him to say yes. "Or to make sure the door hit me as I exited the building?"

The short nurse looked uncertain of what to make of her attitude. "No, no, not at all. Dr. Patch told me that since you're moving to Funbari Hill Hospital, he wanted you to take along a patient with you."

"Why? Taking up too much space and money here?" she remarked, inwardly rolling her eyes when she saw the nurse stutter.

"Er…y-yes."

"We must all make sacrifices for the common good, I suppose. Let me guess, critical condition case, isn't he? Nichrom was never a fan of those."

The nurse nodded. "He was in a bad car accident. Suffered extremely severe trauma to the head. He's in a permanent vegetative state."

Jun narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me? When exactly was this patient admitted to the hospital?"

"About five months ago, doctor."

"Hold this, will you?" She shoved her box at the nurse and strode back into the other doctor's office. "Nichrom!"

He irritably looked up from his paperwork. "You haven't left yet?"

"You diagnosed a patient as permanently vegetative in _five_ months?" she yelled.

He smirked. She wanted to punch him in the face but refrained. "What of it?"

"F…Five…Five months!" she spluttered out. "Five months! It takes at least an entire _year_ to diagnose a patient like that! Do you have any…_any_ idea how much pain it will bring to this patient's family if you are wrong?"

"First off, I don't need an entire year to diagnose him. In fact, go look at him now. It's rather obvious that that man is never going to wake up. Second, I'm never wrong. I did all of the testing myself with methods and equipment that are designed to cut the diagnosis process in half… methods and equipment that Funbari Hill Hospital does not have access to," he pointed out. "And third, that man's family is in the process of estrangement and disownment."

Jun blinked and exhaled lightly. She hadn't been prepared for this. "First off, you have to have _hope_, doctor. Otherwise, I do not see why you are even here. Now it is clearer than ever that St. Luke's didn't choose you over me because of your _wonderful_ compassion. Second, there is a chance that _anyone_ is wrong, even the best. Nichrom, you are in fact very brilliant and smart. You were the top of your class over at Village University. But book smarts will never replace real life experience that you somehow always manage to overlook. Third, _I_ will become that man's family." She grabbed the patient's file he tossed at her. "And fourth, _merry Christmas_ to you too, sir." She strutted away, her head held up high.

"You can't become a man's entire family, Jun," he called out after her.

"Just watch me." She returned to the awestruck nurse who had been carrying her things. "Thank you, sir." She looked down at her file. "Now who do we have…" She nearly dropped the box as she took it back. "This…This is just a coincidence, right?"

The nurse shook his head. "Hard to believe, right?"

"This can't be." She laughed. "It can't."

"It is, though! Look at the picture."

Still blinking in disbelief she turned to the first page. And her eyes rested upon a picture of him: Lee Pailong. "I…I…" She stuttered. "What are the chances?" she whispered.

"The one and only! Lee Pailong, famous kung fu action movie star…and he'll be under your watch!" The nurse blushed. "Can't say I'm not jealous."

"Cheer up, Oyamada. You can come over and visit once he wakes up."

The nurse balked. "Wh…What? Well, thank you for the offer but…didn't Dr. Patch say that he's never going to wake up?"

"Manta, are you a nurse? You have to have hope," Jun chastised. "He will wake up. He will. I plan on making it happen."

* * *

_Four Years Ago—Christmas Eve_

"Where did Tao go?"

"Shh…she might hear you. If I were you, get out while you can. I'm still on duty. She just got a call…"

"About what?"

"Her…" The voice hesitated. "Her mentor just passed away."

"Lady Sati? No way! She was so young too…how unexpected."

"Think about how this must be for Dr. Tao…"

"How is she handling it?"

"No one knows. She just locked herself away on the fifth floor again."

"Pailong… Why… Why does it hurt so much?" she asked, cradling herself in her arms as she rocked back and forth. "It's not like I was…I was related to her…Or even…" Tears began streaming down her face. "Look at me," she whispered. "I'm…I'm a goddamn _Tao_ and I'm…I'm crying." She laughed hysterically, tilting her head back and causing the tears to run into her messed up hair.

"Why? I want…I want the pain to go away. She was…she was the only person I ever was friends with…the person I was the closest to. She taught me everything I knew. She was the first person I saw when I stepped off of that plane and onto Japanese soil for my internship. She was the last person I talked to after I left St. Luke's. She…She called me on the phone after she heard the news…she knew how much working at St. Luke's was to me."

She closed her eyes and drew her legs to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees. "She made me feel like I was worth something…for the first time in over twenty years. She told me that I was…" Her body shuddered as a sob coursed through it. "She told me I was a wonderful doctor… her best pupil in all of her mentoring years."

"What I would do to switch places with you. They say that you don't even physically respond to pain." She wiped away her tears. "But they also say you're just a vegetable… that you're already dead inside."

It might have just been she was so upset that she began seeing things, but if Jun knew any better she could've sworn she saw the muscles in Pailong's arm tense up.

"But I don't believe any of that…that…that _crap_. You're so much more alive than those lifeless office workers and businessmen I pass on the street. I just wish that you weren't suspended in this state… this bridge between our two worlds. Not quite alive, not quite dead." She frowned as she pushed back his hair out of his face.

"I always believed that you were given to me for a reason, Pailong. I wasn't so sure those first few months when I was first assigned to you. But now… now I know." She sat back down. "You're not my patient because I'm supposed to take care of you… We're supposed to take care of each other." She placed her hand on top of his.

"Merry Christmas, Pailong."

* * *

_Present_

"Huh, so _that's_ why Tao is so serious all the time? That also explains why she hates Christmastime too…" Yoh looked down at the floor. "Her mentor died…I never would've guessed."

"Makes you see her in a whole different light doesn't it?" Pirika pointed out.

"Doesn't excuse you from eavesdropping when she was on the phone." He nodded. "Anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"So you know how the kids wished for their parents back for Christmas—Ah, come on, now's not _Let's-be-sad-for-orphans_ time! Snap out of it! I was doing some research and even though their mother died when she was giving birth to Seyram, I found out that Redseb and Seyram's dad was Camel Munzer."

Yoh raised an eyebrow. "Camel Munzer? As in Camel Munzer's Toy Emporium?"

Pirika smiled. "That's the one. Relatively famous toymaker, yada yada yada." She waved her hand excitedly. "Not the point! I read an article on the poor guy's death and it said that up until the day he died, he had been working on a toy named Golem… a pretty fancy plastic robot that he was making because Seyram and Redseb loved playing with robots and things."

"That was nice of him."

"But the deal was, he poured his entire life into making it. He would work day and night for several years to perfect it…just to make his children happy." Pirika clicked her nails against the desk. "However, he died before completing it."

"I think I know where you're going with this." Yoh beamed. "See, there really _is_ a little bit of a good person inside of you," he teased.

"Oh, hush. And yes, I was thinking that for Christmas we could pull together some funds and get Mikihisa the necessary parts and instructions for finishing up Golem."

"Yeah, dad should be able to handle it. He's a pretty good mechanic so he'll enjoy the challenge." Yoh lightly punched her in the arm. "This is shaping up to be great! I'm sure the kids will love it. It'll be like having a part of their dad since he worked so hard on it…and to make them happy nonetheless!"

Pirika frowned. "But there's a slight problem. Golem was _really_ high tech. From all the money he spent on it, you could tell he was making it just for them. Not to sell. No one in their right mind would buy it."

"How much do we need to finish building it?" Pirika leaned forward and whispered an amount. Yoh's eyes widened. "Holy—! That's more than my monthly paycheck!"

Pirika regarded him sadly. "And from the rate our fundraiser is going, we won't be able to get enough money to be able to build it in time for Christmas."

Yoh patted her on the back. "Don't worry, we'll figure out something."

"Hmph. Why are they so concerned about this?" Ren grumbled as he and Lyserg watched the two nurses animatedly formulate their plan about Golem from across the room. "It's not their responsibility…"

Lyserg sighed. _Ren would never understand…Heartless, ruthless X-LAWS businessman and all._ "They _are_ nurses after all. They have to feel some sort of empathy for their patients. And Redseb and Seyram are great kids. It's hard to not want to make them happy." Lyserg smiled, the grin only lasting momentarily as he caught sight of Ren's glower.

"I can understand why Asakura is so enthusiastic about this nonsense since he's perpetually Mr. Rainbows and Sunshine and Kittens and Let's Save the Orphans. But Usui? What's in it for her?"

Lyserg blinked up at him, clearly not comprehending what Ren was getting at. "Huh?"

"There has to be some ulterior motive. Otherwise, why would she care so much about this whole family thing?"

_Watch it, you don't know the first thing about Pirika. Don't you have anything else better to do? Besides, you know, always interfering in the hospital's business? _Lyserg clenched his teeth. _Or Jeanne's business more importantly?_ "There's…a lot that not many people know about Pirika."

"Oh really? And what would that be?" Ren asked sarcastically.

Lyserg had to physically hold his leg back from kicking. "Just to let you know, it isn't really the happiest of stories…" he warned.

"Try me, big boy."

* * *

_Four Years Ago—Christmas Eve_

Usui Pirika, aged seventeen going on eighteen and quite in control of her own destiny, marched down the stairs and took a deep breath. _Things will be different this year. Things will be different this year. Things _will_ be different this year_. "Argh!" she cried, stopping in her descent down the stairs. "Who am I kidding? Why would it be any different this year? Why?"

She took a couple of minutes to compose herself. "Okay, Pirika. You very well know why. It's because it's…it's your _goddamn_ birthday today and you're turning _eighteen _for crying out loud! Everyone knows how important a girl's eighteenth birthday is! Even mom and dad…" Her eyes looked downcast. "But no! It will be different. No fighting, no shouting, no blaming and pointing fingers." She brightened up. "It will be different this year." She smiled before reaching the foot of the stairs.

"Hello, dear big brother of mine," she sang as she waltzed into the kitchen.

"Hey," he grunted monotonously, his eyes locked onto the television screen in front of him. "_WHAT_. Why would you pass it to him? Why? He had three guys on him! Everyone knows he can't shoot three pointers to save his life!" Horohoro angrily thrust down his spoon into his cereal, causing milk to splash up into his face. "Bleh." He wiped off his face before turning back to his sister. "Happy birthday, li'l sis. Better be careful." He frowned. "Dad's in one of his moods again."

Pirika could feel her heart plummet down into her stomach as she pulled up a stool next to Horohoro. "You can't be serious…I really did think it would be different his year," she whispered.

At that moment, Usui Lycan staggered in through the front door.

"Dad!" Pirika gasped as she saw her father's face bright red as if someone had slapped him.

He angrily turned his head and slammed the door. "She…she…she…" He grew silent and let his arms fall to his sides lifelessly.

The two children froze and held their breath, waiting to see what he would do next.

He threw an empty glass bottle onto the ground, glass shattering and flying in every direction. "She _left_."

Pirika could barely get her voice to work. "Who…who…left…"

"Your mother, that's who. She left and this time she's not coming back."

Pirika closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry. She felt Horohoro squeeze her wrist comfortingly. "Why did she leave, dad?" she demanded.

"Why else do you think?" Their father began walking towards them.

_Your drinking problems. Your constant harassment. Your gambling addiction. Your verbal and sometimes physical abuse of her and us._

"It's because of you two!" he growled, lifting a shaking, accusatory finger to point at them.

"Don't…" Pirika whispered, her eyes trained to the floor.

"What are you talking about?" Horohoro yelled. "What do you mean she left because of me and Pirika?"

"Especially you!" his father roared at him. "You lazy…useless…piece of…of…shit!"

Horohoro recoiled, stung by the words.

"You don't do anything with your life! I'm not supposed to be responsible for you once you left this house!" His father, surprisingly agile for one so inebriated, darted forward and seized his son by the front of his shirt and pulled him up. "I never asked for any of this." He threw Horohoro onto the ground carelessly.

Pirika and Horohoro, quite used to their father's drunken rages, were already used to the insults he routinely hurled at them every time he had too much to drink. But this one was a first. Pirika narrowed her eyes. "You never asked for what?"

"Having the two of you…was never…planned." The two children reeled back. "I never wanted children. Neither of us did. I hated children. That's why…I wanted both of you out of this house as soon as possible. Especially you." He glared at his son again. "And now….and now she's gone because of you." The burly man backed away, as if suddenly aware that his wife had left him for good.

"Don't you…" Pirika swallowed. "Don't you _dare_ blame us for her leaving! Don't you _dare_! We all know that it's _your_ fault that she's gone. It's _your_ fault why we never have enough money. It's _your_ fault why Horohoro can never find a job once they find out who his father is. And now it's _your_ fault that I can't even go to college next year because guess what, dad? I'm going to have to get employed to cover mom's lost income. And it's all _your_ fault. Not ours. It was _never_ our fault. We took care of you all these years when neither mom nor yourself could. I'm your daughter, dad. And Horohoro's still your son," Pirika finished, her breathing growing labored as anger seized her.

Her dad mumbled something.

"What did you say?" Pirika could hardly contain herself.

"I said…that I could always have another son if I wanted to. I don't need him. I don't want him. In fact, I won't _have_ him." Lycan's head snapped up. "From now on… you are no longer my son."

"Dad, stop it!" But it was too late. Their father walked away, just like how he always did whenever he needed to take responsibility for something.

"Hey." Horohoro looked down at his younger sister who was curled up on the living room couch later that day.

"Hey."

"Can I join you?" She nodded before burying her face back into her arms. "Pretty crappy birthday, huh?"

She sniffed. "I didn't even get any presents." She giggled through her tears.

He smiled sadly. "If only I had a job…" His voice trailed off before he blinked. "Wait. I have one for you."

She wiped away her tears and hiccupped. "Oh really? And what would that be?"

He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "Let's make a promise. I…I'll move down to Tokyo."

"Horohoro! You're supposed to try to make me feel better!" she cried. "Talk about a lousy birthday gift…"

"No, no, you don't get it. Let me finish. So basically everyone who's in Hokkaido knows about dad and his…well, you know. I'm essentially never going to get hired around here because of him. I'll move down to Tokyo and get a job. That way, dad'll be happy that I'm out of the house and you'll be happy because then he'll let you join me and we can both be free of…of this house. And you and me…we can make our own plans for once. We can finally live our own lives…for our dreams and what we love."

She gaped. "Horohoro, are you serious?"

He nodded, seemingly surprised with himself. "For once in my life…" He paused thoughtfully. "Yeah, I am."

She broke into a smile and threw her arms around him. "If…if you keep your promise, this will make up for all of my other birthdays that mom and dad managed to ruin!"

"I know, I know." They both sat in silence, wondering and thinking about all of the opportunities that awaited them in Tokyo.

"Horohoro, can…can we make one more promise?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course. What is it?"

"No matter what happens in the future…four weeks from now, four years from now, four decades from now…promise me…promise me that we'll always be a family. Just the two of us. Promise me that you and me will always be a family." She looked at him pleadingly.

"I promise."

* * *

_Present_

"Ah." Ren blinked.

'_Ah'? That's it? Pirika's family history is by far the saddest I've ever heard and that's all Tao boy has to say? 'Ah'?_ "Erm…"

"That…hmm." Ren's voice trailed off as he looked deep in thought.

_He's so heartless!_

"Excuse…excuse me…" Ren muttered as he walked away in a daze, reaching into his coat pocket to get something. He pulled out a sleek, no doubt designer and very expensive checkbook as he left Lyserg.

"What a strange, strange man."

As Ren walked seemingly aimlessly down the hallways, he bumped into someone. "Ah, pardon me—or on second thought…"

Pirika glared at him. "Really? This is the third time! And it's not my fault. _You're_ the one who bumped into me."

He ripped something out of his checkbook and shoved it at her. "Here. Take it or I will sue you." And with that, he left.

"What is he…" She shook her head and looked what he had thrust into her hand. "What in the…" Her eyes bugged out and her jaw fell slack. "Are you _serious_?" she screeched at his retreating form. "_Five hundred thousand yen_?"

* * *

"What are they doing here?" Anna asked weakly as she blinked blankly.

"Redseb and Seyram just wanted to visit you." Yoh smiled. _Well, that and I needed to distract them because Pirika needs to make arrangements about Golem…_

"Yeah, we did! Yoh's always talking about you!" Redseb exclaimed and Seyram nodded vehemently as Yoh's eyes widened.

"Er, on second thought, we were all just leaving…" Yoh began to usher the two children out

"What? But we just got here—"

Seyram looked like she could've bitten Yoh's arm off.

"Oh, no." Yoh turned around to see what Anna was talking about. "Let them stay. It seems that they have quite a lot to tell me." She smirked devilishly at him before turning to the two children. "So, Asakura here talks about me?"

Redseb rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. "_All_ the time. He won't shut up about you! It's always 'Anna this' and 'Anna that' and 'Boy, Anna sure is pretty.'" Seyram had a small grin on her face. Both nurse and patient looked at each other before quickly turning away.

_Alright, that's it. I had no idea this would be so embarrassing._ "Okay, kids, go back to your rooms now." Redseb laughed evilly to himself before grabbing Seyram's hand and leaving. "Well that was thoroughly humiliating…"

"Why? Because the prospect of finding me attractive to me is so ridiculous?" Anna raised an eyebrow.

"What? No. No! That's not what I meant—" Yoh's face was increasingly feeling like it was on fire.

The patient chuckled. "I understand. Thank you though," she said quietly.

"I was really just trying to make you feel better."

"I know." She coughed. "My health is declining again, according to Eliza. I…" She hesitated. "The police want me to go back to Mount Osore as soon as possible for questioning. I…don't think I can handle going back there…"

"You don't have to! I'll find a way so that you don't have to—"

"I have to go back. Police's orders. As soon as my health recovers. That's why…that's why I didn't want to get better. I don't think that I can manage being there again… Mount Osore…" She closed her eyes. "Mount Fear. It's legend that the gates of hell are located there. The villagers from centuries ago have no idea how right they were."

* * *

"_Mount Osore."_

_

* * *

_"_Yoh, we just got notified that the girl we had adopted a few years ago has been seriously injured when she was visiting her hometown."_

_

* * *

_"_Apparently as she was walking down an abandoned road, she was assaulted and beaten almost to death by her attackers. It was a miracle she even survived."_

_

* * *

_"_We just found out that she has been transferred to Funbari Hill Hospital."_

_

* * *

_"This…"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him.

"You're…you're…" He rubbed his eyes and stared at her. "You're you."

"What are you blabbering about? You're giving me a headache."

"You're her." He shook his head and looked at her again as if to check it was really…_her_. "You're Anna."

"I thought we've already established that."

"No. No!" He went closer to her as if he were seeing her for the first time. "You're the girl my parents adopted. I can't believe…I can't believe that it took me so long to…This is unbelievable. How long have you been planning this for?"

She looked at him sadly. "It truly is. What took you so long?"

"I was expecting…I don't know, like a six year old girl…not…not…"

"Me?"

"…You."

She looked up at him defiantly. "Hello, Asakura Yoh. My name is Kyoyama Anna. Your grandparents adopted me precisely four years ago and trained me. I am to be your fiancée. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

* * *

_Later on, we'll conspire, as we dream by the fire, to face unafraid the plans that we've made._

_

* * *

_**A/N**: St. Luke's International Hospital is an actual hospital in Tokyo. and the pictures of it on the internet are absolutely **gorgeous**. by _far_ my favorite chapter that I've written for just about anything. even though it seems that a lot of people in the SK fandom seem pretty concentrated on YohAnna dynamics, I've always found Horohoro and Pirika's family situation and tense relationship with their father to be extremely fascinating. also, jun always seemed particularly intriguing to me... how she was able to change so much after her encounter with Yoh in the series.

so in this chapter, we find out more about the Usui's whacked up family dynamics (but there is more to come!), Yoh finally finds out who Anna is, and Ren realizes what it means to be part of a family and the real meaning of the holidays!

**REVIEWS ARE LOOOOVE, people! =)** i'm always so stunned by the amount of feedback i get for every chapter. it means so, so much to me!

**fun fact number two**: I am a firm believer in the concept of OTPs and will never write a sad ending. ever. also, HoroTamao is my very first and by far the most important to me of my OTPs. ironically, i have stories that have focused on every other pairing except them. this may be an issue...hmm...

don't forget to leave a review! ;)


	7. That's What I Want For Christmas

**7. That's What I Want For Christmas**

"You're not mad…" Anna looked up at him unsurely.

Yoh let out an exhausted laugh. "I'm not…I'm not…" He collapsed into a chair. "I was just wondering how long you were planning on not telling me this…It's kind of important, you know?" he teased her.

"I thought you would be livid." Anna frowned, almost looking as if she had been robbed of an angry reaction from her fiancée.

"I'm not and I know that you're going to think that this is terribly cliché but I wouldn't want it to be with any other person." Anna's face reddened. "You make very good company. You're very interesting." Her embarrassment faded away only to be replaced with frustration at his shallowness.

"Ah. So that's it. I'm just a good conversationalist?" she asked dryly.

Yoh smiled and shook his head. "I can imagine waking up in the morning and going downstairs and seeing you by the stove, half infuriated that what you're cooking isn't turning out like it's supposed to. _Or_," he quickly began once he saw Anna begin to protest. "Or maybe it's you coming down those stairs and seeing me just making an entire mess of the place as I attempt at preparing breakfast or something because I know that you minored in women's studies. Females are no longer bound to the domestic sphere and all that jazz." She gave an approving curt nod. "Or maybe it's both of us. You raising hell as you're trying to teach me how to cook or something while I'm ruining everything…It's…I can see that."

"What would all of that be called?" she asked quietly.

"Truth be told, I have no idea. I need to figure that out. But the point is, I'm happy."

* * *

"So, um…You gave a lot of money," Pirika commented lamely. As luck would have it, Ren and she were the only ones in the elevator.

"It really is not a big deal." He shifted his weight from his right to his left foot.

"You didn't have to…"

"My family is drowning in money. Might as well do something useful with it." Pirika could tell he was uncomfortable. "Can we…not talk about this anymore?"

"Sure." She began humming to herself. As he adjusted his tie for what seems to be the millionth time, she couldn't help herself. "Five thousand dollars? Really?"

He merely sighed, looking extremely self-conscious.

"I hope you do realize that you don't deserve her," Pirika commented out of the blue.

He smirked. "Mhmm."

This really set Pirika off. "Then why are you doing this to her? Jeanne is…is…a _saint_ and you're forcing her into a marriage that neither of you want at this point in your lives. Who do you think you are?" she demanded, thrusting a finger in his face.

He regarded her in a bored fashion. "I responded to your acutely accurate observation like that because I know that it is true. In no way, shape, or form am I worthy of her. She is too good of a person, a concept that is completely foreign to me." He shook his head. "But she's not the only person being forced…"

"What are you talking about? The last I heard, you were entering into this engagement on your own volition."

"The amount of pressure I experience as the Tao heir is unbelievable. And contrary to what you believe, I am not a totally terrible person who would force someone like Jeanne into marrying me. I do it because it is my duty and she does it because it is hers. That is all. I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Why, because I'm just a lowly nurse?" Pirika asked sarcastically.

"Not…how I would have phrased it but…" He exhaled noisily as he tried to find a way to maneuver his speech so as to avoid putting his foot in his mouth. "Being part of the X-LAWS is very…different. It is like a constant headache."

"Don't worry, I understand. Nursing is so stressful sometimes…" She studied his face. "You don't believe me!"

"I do. But I am willing to bet that working for Marco is much more demanding."

"And I'm willing to bet that you wouldn't last a day as a nurse," she challenged teasingly.

"I think I could," he said proudly, holding his head up high. She laughed. "And now _you _do not believe me. Why is that?"

"Nursing is so much more than just doing what the doctor tells you to do…" she explained. The elevator light above them dinged. "Are you busy?"

"I am free for the rest of the day." He regarded her suspiciously. "Why...?"

She smiled blindingly. "Good. I want to try something." She seized him by the wrist and led him out of the elevator to the volunteer station.

* * *

"Good morning," Lyserg greeted happily as he joined Jeanne behind the front desk.

"Ah, h-hello, Lyserg." The girl hurriedly exited out of the internet page she had been browsing for the past two hours. _I could just stare at Yale's campus all day…But I know my duties_.

"Oh—!" She lurched forward to catch the pile of papers Lyserg nearly toppled to the floor. "We wouldn't want to have to organize all of these again. It took us nearly a week the first time around." She smiled. _Though I wouldn't mind spending another week working on something with Lyserg. I can't think of anyone I would rather be with. _

Her guilty conscience prickled at her. _You have a _fiancée._ Remember that._

She sighed as she straightened up the pile. _I know. But all I simply meant was that he makes for good company._ She coughed. _Very good company._

Her conscience waved an imaginary finger at her. _I'm sure that's _all _you meant_, it chastised sarcastically.

_But it is! It's…we're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less._ She blinked blankly as she realized Lyserg had been staring at her and was pointing at something. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I had been spacing out."

"It was nothing important." He shrugged as he took his seat next to her. "I was just wondering what the necklace was for. I've never seen you wear it before."

Her hand immediately flew to the pendant that had come out from underneath her shirt when she had caught the pile. Jeanne looked down at it, fingering the fine ebony and ivory of the yin-yang charm that winked back up at her.

* * *

_One Year Ago_

"Oh, that's _very..._intriguing, Mr. Tao," Jeanne commented, trying to force herself to sound the least bit interested in Tao Yuán's talk of trading stocks and maximizing profit.

"It is, isn't it? Rather an art form in my opinion." The hulking man nodded and stroked his beard. "Indeed."

"Dearest, I hope that you are not boring our guest to tears with your mindless blabber about the stock market again." Tao Ran waltzed into the room. "A _thousand _pardons for keeping you waiting."

Her husband laughed heartily. "Of course not." He moved to the side to make space for his wife on the sofa he was sitting on across from Jeanne.

"Ah, such a beautiful girl!" Tao Ran exclaimed admiringly. "Now who do we have here?"

"This is Jeanne. Marco d'Fer's adopted daughter from France. You remember Marco, don't you?" Jeanne stood up to bow to the lady of the house.

"And so well mannered! And would that be Marco of the X-LAWS?" Yuán nodded. "It is an honor and a pleasure to have you in our house to be visiting you today, Miss d'Fer. Or hopefully, we will be calling you our daughter in a couple of years' time." She winked.

"The privilege is all mine, Mrs. Tao." Jeanne tried imagining her last name as Tao. _No longer d'Fer…it's like I'm going to be erased._ She pictured Tao Ran embracing her. To call this elegant and extravagant lady her mother.

"Oh please, call me Ran!" she laughed. "We _do _hope that you will consider taking us up on our proposal, Jeanne. You seem like such a lovely girl. Does she not, Yuán?"

"That she does, that she does."

Ran took out an ornately carved box and placed it on her lap, beckoning for Jeanne to join her. "This has been passed down from generation to generation. Every girl that marries into the Tao family inherits this necklace and wears it until she gains a daughter-in-law." She smiled and took Jeanne's hands in her own. "I can only hope that I shall be lucky enough to pass this onto you, Jeanne." She pressed the necklace into the girl's hands and closed them.

Jeanne could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she lovingly looked down at the Tao's family heirloom.

"Just keep it with you for the time being. If you choose to move onto a different suitor, simply return it. But we are all wishing that we will not be getting this necklace back." Ran smiled as Yuán placed his hand on his wife's knee.

"Yin and yang…" Jeanne said softly under her breath.

"It is the Tao family crest. It has been for centuries. It is perfect for every heir's wife for she needs to be balanced. She must be loving and delicate like yin but strong and fierce enough like yang to carry the Tao name and legacy. She must be able to strike this balance for if one side grows too strong, it will crush the other." Ran looked up at the girl standing in front of her. "Jeanne, we chose _you _because we believe that you can do it. It is not an easy task. But we know that you are up to it."

"We would love for you to be in our family," Yuán added.

"Thank you very much." Jeanne bit her lip and bowed to the two adults across from her.

"So if you could just be a dear and tell Marco to give us a definitive answer as soon as possible…" Ran smiled a little bit too forcefully. She left her sentence hanging as if to indicate that Jeanne should take her leave (exit: stage left) from the Tao household. "Is there something else?" she asked a bit too sharply.

"Oh, I was hoping that I would be able to meet Ren." Jeanne shrunk back a little, not knowing if this was how arranged marriages worked. _I've never been in one before!_ she lamented inwardly. "If…If that is okay, of course."

The two Tao parents exchanged glances. "Ah, about that…"

Ran pursed her lips and waved her hand at her. "We'd think it would be…_best_ if you two didn't meet just yet." Her voice sounded a little bit like plastic to Jeanne.

"For the best," Yuán agreed, nodding.

"Okay then. Thank you for having me."

* * *

"Jeanne, you do know that you need not go through with this just for me." Marco studied his adopted daughter as they rode home in the car.

"Yes, I know, Marco. But…I'm sure of this."

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "As long as you are certain. And that you are doing this for yourself."

Jeanne sadly smiled as they drove by the seashore on their way home. She was by no means doing this for herself. She was doing it because she had looked over the figures: if the X-LAWS and the Tao family, and therefore all two dozen of their companies, merged, Marco's profits would be off the charts. Jeanne knew how incredibly happy he would be and she felt obligated to do so. He could have picked any of the other orphans back in France. But he picked her. Thus, it was her _duty_ to carry out anything that he wanted or needed.

But Jeanne had another reason. A more selfish reason. Tao Ran. Jeanne never knew her biological parents. Her first experience of being a member of a family was when Marco d'Fer came out of nowhere one sunlit day and adopted her from the orphanage she had been living at for her entire life. Marco had been extremely good to her but in Jeanne's heart she still yearned for a mother. She wanted someone who would smile and hug her when she was crying. Someone who would fix her hair and give her advice on everything from clothing to school. Someone who would tell her that she was strong and deserved better if a boy ever broke her heart.

Someone whom she could call her mother.

But as the months dragged by and everyone at her boarding school found out about her engagement to Ren, she began to withdraw. She started wearing the necklace underneath her dress or shirt so that no one would see. It became a chain around her neck, a veritable dog's collar that she wasn't quite so sure she wanted anymore but it was too late. The realization took full effect when she moved to Japan to join Marco and get to know Ren in the months leading up to their marriage. She had become defined by her engagement. No longer was it _d'Fer, Jeanne, student of Mont Saint-Michel, ranked third, Yale bound._ Now it was _Tao Ren's fiancée…ah, goodness, what was her name again?_

The dual ivory-ebony pendant hung heavily as it rested between her collarbones. Her very own identification tag, complete with her status and what she belonged to.

_Whom I belong to_.

_Tao_.

* * *

_Present_

"Take him…gently now! Hold him while I wash off my hands." Pirika passed the newborn child she and Ren had assisted and observed Faust deliver just an hour before. She stripped off her gloves and lifted the trashcan lid up. "So, what do you think of nursing now?" She was met with silence. "Granted, I suppose I _did_ thoroughly abuse you… You still did a pretty good job. But you looked nauseated half of the time." She turned around, unaccustomed to the usually snarky Tao boy's silence.

He was looking down at the baby boy in his arms, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes filled with something Pirika had never seen cross Ren's face before.

_Fear_.

"I…" He cradled the child, looking awkward and clumsy as the baby lay tiny and small and innocent in his usually sharp, swift moving hands.

"Are you OK?" She ushered both of them out of the room and into the hall after giving the mother her child back. "Ren…"

He kept blinking as if trying to register something that hit him upside the head. "I can't do this," he said with a tone of finality in his voice.

"Do what?" Pirika was starting to get concerned.

"I can't be a father. I wasn't meant to be a father," he stated nonchalantly.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and drew closer to him. "Well, I'm sure that if you told Jeanne, she wouldn't mind. At eighteen, she probably isn't ready to have kids either."

He shook his head, that same smirk he shared with his sister clear on his face. "It isn't that simple."

"Of course it is! You always have…a…choice…" A sinking feeling coursed through Pirika. "If…If you don't want to—"

He laughed bitterly. "It isn't about what I _want_. It's about what I _need_."

She bit her lip. "And…what do you need?"

"An heir. As soon as possible."

"You don't really…_need_ an heir…" she started off lamely, wondering if his entire situation was way over her head.

"But the problem is, I _do_ need an heir. I _need_ to do this. It's the entire reason why I am getting married so quickly. My family…my family…" He straightened his suit out. "Forgive me, I'm letting my emotions show too much."

Pirika's jaw dropped. "What? You don't need to….Did you really just…Don't apologize for something that people were wired to do. I mean, it's human nature for us to show our emotions."

"I'm a _Tao_, not a human," he reminded her half-smilingly.

She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't. "Huh."

"When I looked down at that child and it was just so..._small_…"

In any other situation, Pirika would've laughed. But she saw that Ren was actually revealing what he truly felt. And from the way he was talking, it sounded as if it were the first time he was ever doing such a thing.

"It depended on me. I could feel his heart beating and I realized that this little thing was human. That it would grow and need to be nurtured and loved and guided and have someone to look up to. It was an entire human being in the palms of my hands. And to be responsible for a whole other person? To think about that was…terrifying." He looked ashamed and disgusted with himself.

"But you would be a great father… You could love your child… You can't keep doubting yourself," she protested, somehow knowing that it would be in vain, knowing that she did not in fact know the first thing about him.

"You can't just start loving someone if you never learned how to before."

Pirika closed her eyes. "You don't…love Jeanne then," her voice shaking from the pure sadness she was feeling for the other girl. "You can still learn. You can learn if you want to!" she declared loudly as if to convince herself more than anything else. "Don't you want to love her?"

He looked straight through her.

"It isn't about what I want. It's about what I need." He paused.

Pirika's gaze fell to the floor. "She's...isn't she?"

"She's already pregnant."

* * *

_One Year Ago—Christmas Eve_

"Hello, Ren, dearest," his mother cooed as she glided into the kitchen.

He studied her as he drank his daily glass of milk, looking at Tao Ran over the top of the newspaper he was perusing. "Hello, mother."

"How are you this morning?" She smiled as she took out various pots and pans from the expansive cupboards.

He put down the paper to look at her more closely. His mother never acted like this. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look she's doing? She's making us breakfast," his father boomed as he joined his wife and son.

"She never cooks though…" he remarked suspiciously, watching his mother attempt to boil water in a pan and fry eggs in a pot. "You hate doing work. That is why we have servants. _Hundreds_ of servants."

His mother whirled around and placed both of her hands on her hips in mock offense. "Oh, come now! Can't I make my own son breakfast? Especially now that you're in college and you rarely come home to visit anymore…" she sniffed as Tao Yuán comforted her. Ren picked up his paper and stuck it in front of his face, willing himself to disappear from the room.

"It _is _rather concerning though…" his father mused, tapping his chin.

Ren scowled, his face hidden from his parents by the newspaper. "What would that be?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"It is rather concerning…that you are already in college…for a whole year and a half might I add…and you have yet to…" Yuán stroked his beard. "Bring home a girl for us to meet."

Ren furrowed his brows. _Since when do mother and father care about this sort of thing?_ "I have been concentrating on my studies. And I have other friends. I hardly have time for girls. There has not been a single one that has caught my attention." _Now please stop talking to me_.

From behind the newspaper, he stole a glance and saw his parents exchange knowing looks. "Ah and Ren dear, what kind of girl _would_ catch and…_hold_ your attention?" his mother inquired sweetly as his father nodded encouragingly. "In other words, what kind of girl would you _want_?"

Ren paused, caught off guard by the innocent question, and realized he hadn't thought that much about it. "A girl that is as intelligent as I am…and is shorter…and doesn't talk too much." _Then I wouldn't have to put up with her incessant babbling that so many girls today seem to be so keen on…and that way, she is more likely to agree with me all the time_. Ren nodded, happy with that prospect. _Someone who will follow what I say and won't challenge what I want_.

Ran and Yuán smiled. "Perfect, perfect. We surmised as much."

He slammed his paper down and glared at them. "What have you done? I knew you two were up to something," he snarled.

His mother wagged a disapproving finger at him. "Ah, ah, ah, I know what you're going to say. Just hear us out. And in the end, you will be thanking us."

"Fat chance of that happening," he growled under his breath.

"For the past few months, we've been weeding through some possible wives for you—"

Ren almost snapped. "Without my say in the matter? How—"

"Mmm, hush, dearest." Ran waved her hand dismissively at him. "But we always had our sights set on one girl. And it was probably fate that she is exactly what you're looking for. We were just simply..._ensuring _that we had a backup plan in case she rejected our offer."

Ren shook his head in disbelief. "I cannot believe you were planning my wedding behind my back."

His father spoke up. "Ren, you know that it is your duty as the heir to carry on the Tao bloodline. To keep its legacy and honor intact."

Ren tilted his head stiffly. He was well aware of that. "Then why aren't you forcing Jun into marrying as well?"

"She isn't the heir, so it's hardly our concern. _You_ are the one who will be representing our family in just a matter of years…months even."

Ren kept silent.

"And you should feel lucky. Generations before, the Tao elders always forced the heir to remain within the marriage. Fortunately for you and for us, we are not going to do that. She is just as interested in keeping her family's bloodline strong as well so…" Ran clapped her hands together and swept her arms out in an elegant flourish. "We came to an agreement. You two will marry, stay within the marriage for a respectable amount of time…a year, no more…produce an heir and then be quickly divorced afterwards. Clean break. Easy, no?"

Ren narrowed his eyes. "And…she is okay with this? Just giving birth and then getting a divorce in a span of a year?"

Ran hesitated and put on a smile—the plastic smile he was very well acquainted with. "Why, of course she is. We ironed out all the details last month."

"You mean she came to our house? She was here already? Why didn't you let me meet her?" he demanded.

"It's for the best, it's for the best."

"Well, what if I _wanted_ to meet her?"

His father stared at him straight in the eye. "Ren, it isn't about what you want. It's about what you—and future generations upon generations of the Tao clan—_need_. Understand?"

Ren couldn't bring himself to even look at his parents. "Who…is…she?"

His mother smiled a rather smug smile. Instead of answering, she grabbed the newspaper Ren had slammed down earlier and opened it (it was the business section of course…Ren would only read the business section, nothing more, nothing less) and flung it in front of him. The recycled sheet of the paper danced in the air until Ran's finger snapped down, her finger tip momentarily crushing the suspended piece of newsprint, bringing it flying down until it hit the table. "There."

Ren looked at the picture his mother was indicating. X-LAWS OPENS JAPANESE BRANCH WITH A BANG. "X-LAWS? Marco?" Ren studied the picture. Underneath the headline was a grainy picture taken at the event with the caption: _d'Fer debuts adopted daughter Jeanne to world of socialites._ Ren could hardly see her, considering Jeanne's back was almost entirely to the camera. _I don't know anything about her...Hell, I can't even see how she looks_.

"If you marry this girl, Marco has promised a prime position for you in the company," his father offered enticingly. "And we all know how much you wanted to get a job there. That was the, ah, sole reason you decided to go to college in America…yes?" Yuán smirked at his son as Ren didn't answer.

"We know you'll do the right thing. You get what you want and we all get what we need. Isn't that lovely?" Ran sighed dreamily.

_Just lovely_. _Merry Christmas to me._

_

* * *

Present_

"Where are we going?" Ren asked skeptically as Pirika dragged him outside of the hospital.

She kept humming to herself, charging full steam ahead.

"Where are we going?" Considering it was ten at night in the dead middle of winter, Ren could barely see her in front of him, his path only guided by her firm grip around his wrist and insistent tugging on his arm. His toes smashed into something hard. "You didn't tell me we'd be going up stairs!" he managed his hiss through his pain.

"Wait here!" she commanded cheerfully. She darted off and Ren could hear the grating sound of metal against metal. "Okay, ready." He heard a click and flood lights exploded into life next to him.

He blinked, trying to get his eyes adjusted to harsh light. "What…is this place?" He looked around.

"What does it look like to you?" she teased as she shrugged off her jacket.

"Why are we on top of a roof?" He leaned closer to the iron fence that she had climbed over before following her. "You know, trespassing is illegal."

She stuck her tongue out. "I know." She slipped off her shoes and socks. "This is a reserved area. We're on the building next door to the hospital." She hopped over to the edge of the roof and pointed down. "See? There's Funbari!" She folded her jacket and placed it on top of her shoes.

"Why are we doing this again?"

"A hotel used to own this building 'til they got out of business. But maintenance still cleans the entire building regularly. Including the pool, so you have nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean, 'nothing to worry—'" Before he could finish she had taken a graceful swan dive into the pool, still fully dressed in her scrubs. He stood there, speechless, as she paddled her way back to the surface of the water. "What the hell are you doing?"

"The pool is still fully functional. It's heated and everything!" she cried joyfully as she motioned for him to join her.

"You want me…to join you…" he commented dryly.

She shrugged as she kept treading water. "Oh yeah. You wouldn't want to get your _Armani_ suit all messed up." She snickered before she began floating on her back. "You don't know what you're missing out on. It feels great." She sighed as the warm water lapped at her cheeks and she closed her eyes. "Whenever I stay at the hospital later than usual for a particularly stressful shift, I come here when I'm off duty and I just lie down here and stare at the stars." She smiled. "It's so peaceful. Do you ever—" She yelped as water cascaded down on top of her and a violent splash echoed through the abandoned night sky. "Wha—"

She squeaked as Ren surfaced. He threw his long hair back, spraying her with droplets of the chlorinated water, his face only a few inches from her.

"You actually…" She broke out into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. "I can't believe you actually joined me!" Pirika began to sink as her laughter prevented her from treading water. "Tao Ren! Of all people! He just ruined his Armani suit by jumping into an abandoned hotel pool in the middle of the night!" she gasped out in between her giggle spasms. "Aw, man, this one's for the history books!"

"Hmph." She was silenced as a sheet of water smacked her in the face.

"What was that for?" she spluttered indignantly, rubbing away the chlorine that started to burn her eyes.

"For continually harassing me, that is why."

She splashed him back. "Drama queen!" They both exhaled contentedly and stared up into the sky.

"Why do you choose this place? I am sure there are many other places you could go to for relaxing. Ones that do not have prohibited access."

"I dunno. I kind of like it. Sometimes, I feel like…like I _want_ to be caught."

He tilted his head to look at her. "Mentally unstable much. You do not hate the uncertainty though? The possibility of being found out up here?"

"The uncertainty makes me feel more alive," she mumbled. "It's exhilarating. I don't really care if I'm caught or if people think it's weird."

"Ah."

"Ren?"

"Hmm?"

"Sometimes…you have to do things for yourself for once. Do things not for anyone else but you."

* * *

"So we're more alike than you think," Yoh observed. He and Ren were sitting by the sleeping Anna's beside in the ICU.

"I heard about the engagement."

"Yup." Yoh opened a can of soda. "Want some?"

Ren drew his brows together. "You are…not upset about this."

Yoh placed the can to his lips. "Nope. Should I be?"

"Well, if my grandparents were arranging a marriage behind my back for the past four years, then…" Ren shrugged. "I do not know."

"Is it strange that…that I don't mind?"

Ren waited for him to continue.

Yoh cleared his throat. "It's just that…whenever I think about it…it's so surreal, you know? To think that this girl is going to be my wife."

"You don't have to let her be your wife. I'm sure you have some sort of say in it," Ren pointed out.

Yoh shook his head. "But the things is is that I _want_ to be with her."

"And you already know all of this after spending just a few weeks with her…" Ren regarded him suspiciously.

"Pretty crazy, isn't it?" The Asakura boy laughed. "But I just have this…this _feeling_ about the whole thing. I don't know how to explain…Well, you of all people should understand."

Ren averted his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you get that feeling when you first laid eyes on Jeanne? Didn't you feel that? Like it was _meant_ to be? Like you were supposed to be with her because it felt right for once and you've never felt like this ever before in your entire life which is sad but true?"

Ren clenched his teeth. "Sure," he lied.

"It's weird I know. I mean, half the time I'm just following her orders and the other half I'm actually kind of scared of her but…" Yoh sighed. "I'm happy with it."

"Is this…arrangement what you want?" Ren asked, intrigued.

Yoh put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "I honestly think that if I had my way, I wouldn't ever get married. But then again, if I had my way, then I wouldn't have wanted to be a nurse, I wouldn't have wanted to stay in Japan, I wouldn't have wanted to work a single day of my life. I think that if I had my way, I would be a mess." Yoh grinned at the sleeping girl. "And I believe that my grandparents know that more than anything. They know what I need. They know that I need Anna."

Ren leaned forward resting his head in his hands. _I wanted a quiet girl who would comply and agree with me. But I neglected what I needed. I need someone who is strong and opinionated and fierce. Someone who can keep up with me._ He thought back to last night. How Jeanne wouldn't have jumped the fence of an abandoned hotel and illegally swam at some godforsaken hour in her uniform. _But that does not make her any less of a person. She is just...different. We are just too different. We are not what the other one needs._ "You do not know anything about her," Ren tried at one last final attempt at projecting his own unfortunate engagement onto Yoh's. "You do not have knowledge of her past, of what she has done, her history."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to know. I don't need to know. It won't make a difference."

Ren stood up slowly and walked towards the ICU door. Before he exited, he turned around to address Yoh.

"You think that now. But the past _always_ makes a difference."

* * *

_When I walk through a room let them see you need me. Walk through a room let them see you love me, love me, love me. That's what I want for Christmas._

_

* * *

_**A/N**: Ren's final comment is SO "lol foreshadowing!111" I LIKED WRITING THIS CHAPTER! and i love Jeanne. and Lyserg. and everyone. I love life. and it was long. and it was actually way longer which is why it took me so long to update. but i cut the second half of this chapter out and turned it into a new chapter...need vs. want is an extensive theme throughout this story. so i'm extending _Critical Condition _to New Year's. it's going to be a pretty long story lalalala, hope you guys don't mind.

okay, i can't hold it in anymore: i got into my first college today! :D hooray! and they're offering me a half tuition scholarship. yay so i have my VERY LAST FINAL tomorrow. wednesday was horrible. i had three finals, one of which was calculus yuck. 6 hours of testing on one day is death (yet another reason for the late-ish update).

fun fact number three: i'm a filipino-american! seven-eighths filipino and one-eighth italian and I currently reside in northern california. and i'm visiting the philippines this summer before heading off to college! yay! i've noticed that a lot of the reviewers/readers/authors for the SK fandom are from the philippines. :)

**edit 08/02/10**: I'm in the philippines right now and I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE. EVER. oh and I'll be living in Southern Cali for the next four years ;)

coming up next: HUGE twist in AnnaYoh plotline :O and more on the Usui family's situation. And Pirika potentially forgiving her brother? yahoo!

i'd love to hear what you think about this chapter! review? =) happy dayssss


	8. Silent Night

**A/N**: **EXPECT AN UPDATE TOMORROW**

* * *

**8. Silent Night**

_It is the age old story of selling your soul to the devil. In Mount Osore, as legend has it, if one requests for the help of the demon king who resides there, one will receive his or her heart's desire. However, of course, it comes at a price; the person in need oftentimes has to pay a price that the demon king proposes: your life, your soul, your servitude, your loved one, your wealth, your power. Pay the price and you will be granted your wish. Countless stories have been told in which those who seemed beyond help became instant success stories over night._

_But no stories have ever been told of the people who couldn't pay the price._

_

* * *

_One "Chief" Goldva, the head of the police and special forces department in the Osorezan region, was busy interrogating his leading suspect and source on a six year old cold case.

"Mr. Asakura—"

"I told you, just call me Hao." He smiled tiredly at him as he cleared her throat.

"Okay, ah, Hao…"

He leaned forward towards him. "Look, Goldva, I already told you all I know. If you ask me anything else about it, I will simply repeat what I have been telling you these past few years: I do not know."

He sighed. "I know, I know. Granted, you've lost your position as prime suspect in the Mount Osore killing spree years ago."

"How disappointing."

"But witnesses still recount that you were at the site of every homicide committed, leaving you as the witness who knows the most about the murders." He straightened out the ten files on his desk. "Or perhaps even the identity of the murderer."

"How many times do I need to tell you, I do not know. I was only fifteen at the time, I do not see how you can expect me to remember." He stretched out lazily in front of him.

"Why were you in Mount Osore again?"

"Visiting for the festival."

Goldva frowned as he cross-referenced his answer with the one that was on his file and found that it matched.

"Describe the scenes of the murders."

"Each one was bloody, the corpses looked like they had suffered strangulation. Extreme strangulation. Some of them had stab wounds, scratches over their faces." He sighed. "Are we done here?"

He nodded blankly. "Yes, yes…"

He grabbed his coat and turned to her before he left. "Inspector, I would advise you to give up. The past…the past sometimes was meant to be left alone."

As Hao exited, Goldva exhaled and rubbed his forehead. "I still can't shake the feeling that he knows…something. Anything. About the killing spree." He frowned down at the photographs of the beaten dead bodies that decorated the insides of each file. "There has to be something out there we haven't found yet."

"Chief Goldva! Chief!" Two officers burst into her office, both quite out of breath.

"Officers? What is it?"

"We…we…we think we might have a lead on the Mount Osore cold case…" one of them panted as the other nodded profusely and passed him a printout and a newspaper article.

"Leads, leads, leads, what good are _leads_? We've had dozens upon dozens of _leads_ on this case over the past few years, what we need is—" His eyes came to a stop over a description in the printout and he hurriedly looked at the article the officer had handed him.

"What we need is an identity?" the officer triumphantly finished for him as he gaped at the two papers.

"Exactly," he breathed. The head inspector looked up at them. "Good…good investigative work, you two. Dismissed." He closed his eyes and let the fax and the article flutter down to the floor. He ran his hand over the files of the eight victims who had been brutally murdered six years ago. "We'll find who did this to you…all of you."

* * *

"Can we open our eyes now?" Redseb whined. He and Seyram impatiently swung their legs as they sat in the hospital's cafeteria.

"Not yet…" Pirika said as she reached for the two boxes Mikihisa had dropped off earlier.

"How about now?" he asked brightly.

"Hey, guys. Sorry for the delay, there's a huge backup in the kitchen."

"Ryu?" Yoh asked, stunned. "What are you doing here?"

The former food trolley operator smiled and waved. "Well, I couldn't go on letting the patients tolerate the disgusting food they serve here, so I decided to do something about it."

Pirika took a sip of the soup he had placed down on their table. "Hey…this…this isn't half bad!" she exclaimed.

"What can I say, I've wanted to be a chef all my life. This was quite an opportunity for me!" He slid two bowls of ice cream in front of the children. "Eat up."

"How are you managing? It gets so busy down here sometimes for just one person to be working in the kitchen…" Yoh inquired.

"Oh, I enlisted some…help, if you will. Say hi, boys!" The new chef smiled happily as his crew poked their heads out of the kitchen to wave.

"Ball Boy, Apache, Space Shot…wow, you got the entire gang here."

Pirika looked up at Ryu after she finished her third bowl of soup. "Mmmm, but Ryu…you didn't need to do this at all. It's so much work…mmph, but this is really good." She began eating the Munzers' ice cream.

He shrugged. "We were glad to be of service…It seems that serving the honorable Funbari Hill Hospital is our true Happy Place!" he declared tearfully. A resounding cheer of agreement from the kitchen was heard. "We don't need to do this but we want to."

"Ay, Ryu! We're running out of the sushi you made earlier!"

"I'll be right there!" He waved at Yoh and company. "It was nice talking to you. Have a good holiday!"

"Huh. He does it because…" Pirika scrunched her nose up thoughtfully.

"…he wants to," Yoh finished.

"You guys, can we _please_ open our eyes now?" Redseb demanded.

Pirika smacked her forehead. "Ah, of course. I totally forgot you guys. Okay! Open them!"

The two kids blinked several times to adjust their eyes to the light. "Whoa! Are these for us?" They gaped at the huge presents sitting on the table in front of the them.

"Yup, my dad just got finished with them the other day. Merry early Christmas!" Yoh announced.

The children's reactions were not quite what the two nurses had expected. Instead of diving in and ripping open the presents, the kids looked like they were about to cry.

The little boy's lower lip trembled. "Redseb, what's the matter?"

He wiped at his eyes. "This is…this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for us before." He sniffed. "We don't deserve this!"

Pirika shook her head violently. "What are you talking about? Of course you deserve this!"

"No, we don't…" Both he and Seyram stared sadly at the floor.

"Wh-What are you two talking about?" Pirika asked again.

"If we were any good, then how come…how come no one's adopted us yet?" he blubbered as Seyram hugged his arm.

Pirika's eyes widened. "Is that really what you two think?" Yoh asked, his hands clenched into fists in disbelief.

"Uh huh…" Pirika took a napkin off the table and began wiping their faces off. "And I don't get why you guys are bein' so nice to us. It's been a long time since anyone's been this nice to us and it's not like you're our family. You don't need to…"

"It's because…" Yoh found himself repeating what Ryu had said before. "It's not because we need to but because…" His voice trailed off as he rubbed his forehead.

"It's because we want to!" Pirika exclaimed.

The children blinked blearily at them. "You mean it?"

"Of course we do! Why else do we spend so much time with you?" Yoh and Pirika smiled. "Now open those presents!"

They obediently complied and didn't stop tearing off the wrappings until their gifts stood completely exposed in front of them. "Golem!" The two children excitedly ripped the boxes open. "I can't believe you did this for us!"

"It was our—"

"Thank you, dad! Thank you, auntie!" Redseb and Seyram gleefully hugged their quasi-family members.

Yoh reeled back slightly in shock while Pirika paled, her lips parted. "Why…you…you're welcome…"

As the children busied themselves in between playing with their new toy and hugging their nurses, Yoh turned to Pirika. "I suppose…this is what feels like to want to do something for your Happy Place."

* * *

_Ah, it's so early today._ Tamao yawned as she unlocked the door to the orphanage's front office. _I wonder if anyone's_— "Aaah!" she shrieked and thrust up her purse as a makeshift shield.

"Oh, good morning, Tamao!" Horohoro lifted up his coffee mug in greeting.

She put a hand over her racing heart in a vain attempt at calming it down. "Wh…what…what are you doing here…Horohoro?" she stuttered out.

"Hmm? Oh isn't it my shift today?" He checked the calendar. "I guess I _am_ here a little bit early… I just thought I could set up to get things moving. It _is_ Christmas Eve after all!"

She unsurely bobbed her head up and down. "Oh but…but this week…it's everyone's day off…since it's the holidays and…and such."

Horohoro scratched his head. "Is it really? No big deal." He shrugged.

"But you didn't…_need_ to come in," she protested, feeling slightly guilty that someone else had to unnecessarily share in her misery.

"Meh, what does it matter? I actually like working here." Seeing that she wasn't convinced, he laughed. "I don't think you get it." He reached over the counter and seized her by the shoulders. "I…_want_…to…be…here."

She burnt up, unaccustomed to such a display of personal contact with someone she (admittedly) didn't know all too well. "Ah, um, okay…I think I get it now." She backed away unsteadily and straightened herself up.

"So…it's awfully quiet here today. Granted, it _is_ seven in the morning."

"Well, most of the orphans are off with the families who are thinking of adopting them. Or with friends." She clicked on all the lights and started up the heater.

"So is there even anyone around?" he asked, following her as she hung up her thick coat in the closet.

"There is…" She left her hand suspended in mid-air as she bowed her head slightly. "There is…one boy here…" Tamao let her jacket drop onto the hook. "Every year…"

Horohoro frowned. "Really? No one…no one wants to adopt him?" She shook her head. "No friends either?" She shook her head once more. "Who's this kid?"

"Our oldest orphan here. His name is Chocolove McDonell." Tamao pursed her lips in concentration as she fiddled with the outdated coffee maker.

"Doesn't sound like a very local name to me."

"He's from America." She released the knob and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before going at it again with the coffee maker. "He was bounced around from foster home to foster home before he was somehow able to scrape together enough money to fly here."

"Huh…did he have someone he knew here?" He brushed her aside and plugged in the coffee maker and it immediately whirred into life.

She blinked in surprise and embarrassment. "Ah…no. No family, no friends, no personal contacts here. No one knows why he's here." She pressed the button and the diluted brown beverage spurted messily into the paper cup she had inserted under the dispenser. "Come to think of it, none of us know anything about him. The only thing from his past that he mentions is Orona…a name of a person…or a place…maybe that's where he's going or is coming from."

"Or running away from." Horohoro passed her two packets of sugar and one cream like she always had every day.

"Huh?" She mindlessly took the sweeteners from him.

"From the sounds of it….it sounds like he's running _away_ from something." He leaned back into his chair. "Any other information on him?"

She stirred her coffee. "He's about to turn eighteen…"

"One more year 'til he can't stay at the orphanage anymore, huh…Why won't anyone adopt him?" Horohoro curiously inquired.

She frowned and stared into her watery coffee as she spoke. "Well, if his name really _is_ Chocolove McDonell, then…well, we always run background checks on…on whoever comes here if we can help it. To inform prospective future parents and families…right? So…" She sighed. "The newspapers from America say that he's killed some people… that he was part of a gang." She meekly looked down at him to gauge his reaction. "But…But he's much different now! He's changed a lot, he would never do that now!" she exclaimed.

He nodded slowly. "Don't worry, I don't…Hmm…"

"You seem rather…interested in him."

Horohoro grimaced. "Let's just say that I can identify with some stuff that he's gone through…" He bit his lip. "Er, not to say that I've killed anyone—"

She giggled nervously. "Of course not. How about after he wakes up, I'll introduce you two and—"

"Good morning, Tamao!" Chocolove entered the room, yawning.

"Oh, hello, Chocolove! How did you sleep last night?" Tamao turned around, very flustered.

"Pretty well. Do you need me to shovel the driveway again? It looks like there was a lot of snowfall last night…" He padded over to the coat closet.

"What? Ah, no, why would you do that, it's Christmas Eve…"

"Exactly," he muttered under his breath, his eyes downcast. He looked up at Horohoro. "Who's this?"

Tamao rushed over to the Ainu boy's side. "This is Horohoro. If you remember nurse Pirika from last year who visited you when you had the flu…" She held out her hands. "This is her brother. He's been volunteering here for the past month."

Chocolove leered at him. "Interesting…" He turned his back to Horohoro. "Tamao, where's Mic?"

"I put him in the wash last night… He should be just about done drying now. I'll call you when he's done, okay?"

Chocolove nodded. "I think I'll go back to sleep if you don't mind…"

"Of course, of course, do whatever you want. It's Christmas Eve!"

"Christmas Eve…" Chocolove was heard grumbling as he headed back to his room.

"What an interesting kid. Who's Mic and why are you washing him?" When he turned to face Tamao, she was halfway to the laundry room.

"Mic is…" She reached into the dryer and pulled him out. "Joco's stuffed jaguar." The adorable toy feline stared back at Horohoro with its remaining one bead eye. "It's the only thing aside from the clothes on his back Chocolove had turned up at the orphanage with." She flipped the jaguar onto its back in her hands so that it was belly up. "See? Orona." She pointed at the half faded name that had been uniformly scrawled in permanent marker onto the soft fabric.

"Orona…" _That name sounds awfully familiar_. "A nearly eighteen year old boy still sleeps with a toy tiger?"

She patted down the stuffed animal to check if it was still damp. "It's a jaguar. Get it wrong in front of Chocolove and he'll kill you. And…Mic is really important to him… We still don't know why. He's such a great boy but…there always seems to be some sort of barrier between him and everyone else." She sighed.

"Enough with the sad talk. You never told me why _you're_ still here. On Christmas Eve of all days too. Even all the other orphans are out with their families and friends!" he teased.

She kept her eyes trained in the floor as she closed the dryer. "I…ah…I don't exactly…" She cleared her throat. "I don't have anyone to celebrate it with…"

"You mean your family and friends aren't around here? Well, my good friend Ren is some big shot businessman. Jets around the world all the time. I'm sure I can weasel some of his frequent flier miles out of him for you if you want to go back home for the holidays…"

She shook her head. "No…no…I mean…I literally...don't have...anyone to celebrate it with."

Horohoro looked confused.

"I…" She sighed. "Four years ago, when Chocolove first arrived at the orphanage… He was the second oldest orphan to be here."

"Who's the first?" he asked, not quite sure where she was going with this.

"Me."

* * *

_I was sixteen when Chocolove arrived. I had been an orphan since birth. I never knew my parents. I had no next of kin. I was alone. I was the very first orphan that the orphanage took in. Other orphans came in went, their stay ranged for a couple of months to a couple of years, depending on their marketability…I say marketability because, well, hoping to be adopted is all a matter of how well you sell yourself to the visiting families, to the hopeful, would-be parents. The months passed by. The orphans came and went. I tried my best to make myself look appealing when families came to adopt but…then the months turned into years. _

_I came so close so many times to being chosen. About seven times, the parents had already taken out a pen and were literally about to sign the papers when they found about my past. Even though we're living in modern times, when they found out that I was born on Mount Osore and that my parents had been marked as village exiles… They didn't want me anymore. Every orphan reaches a certain age when all hope of being adopted anymore is lost. It's usually mid to late teens…like with Chocolove. People don't want to adopt a kid who already has their own beliefs and values and personalities that have been shaped by whatever trauma we've experienced. They want infants, toddlers, maybe ten year olds at the oldest. Some thirteen year olds have been lucky enough to be adopted. But when you're seventeen, you're hopeless._

_I realized this when I was fifteen years old. Years prior to that, I had already made a deal with myself. If I haven't been adopted by fifteen, I will, after reaching the legal age of eighteen, dedicate my adult years to the orphanage…to loving those who the rest of society didn't want to love._

_My name is Tamao Tamamura. I am twenty years old. I am an orphan. I never knew my parents. This is who I am._

_

* * *

_"Wow…" he breathed, the magnitude and gravity of it all still sinking in.

"Um…yeah…pretty overdramatic. I…I'm sorry. I probably ruined your Christmas Eve." She waved her hand. "Excuse me."

"No…No, no, no. That was one…of _the_ saddest things I've ever heard." He looked close to tears as he opened his arms to give her a hug.

She winced before tentatively stepping forward and awkwardly patting him on the shoulder to end the embrace prematurely. "O…kay."

"Is there…Surely there's _someone_…_anyone_…you would like to spend your Christmas with around here?" he asked somewhat desperately.

Tamao shyly thought of the nurse with the brown eyes and kind smile that had been taking such good care of the Munzer children in the hospital. _Asakura. Yoh Asakura_.

"Is there?"

She thought of the possibility of just showing up at the hospital and asking if he would be so kind as to let her pathetic self join him and his family (that she has never met) on one of the most important holidays of the year. And then she dismissed it. "Ah…no. There is not…" she whispered.

"What were you planning on doing then?"

She intertwined her fingers. "What I always do…Stay home, perhaps."

He banged his fists on the countertop. "Then it's settled. You're celebrating Christmas with me and my sister." He paused. "And with Chocolove."

She spluttered. "B…But, ah, Horohoro, I thought…um, I thought your sister wasn't talking to you…"

He paused. And then he brushed it off. "Eh, no biggie. I was planning on apologizing to her today. And it looks like her defense has been weakening." He winked and pointed at her. "Nothing to worry about. Anyways, we always get together into one huge group for Christmas anyways at…well, I don't know if you know him but when I moved down to Tokyo for middle school when I was like thirteen, Yoh and Ren were my best buds for six years until I moved back to Hokkaido. But going back north wasn't such a great idea…Anyways, we always celebrate Christmas at Yoh's house—"

"_Yoh_'s going to be here?" She calmed herself down after realizing how enthusiastic she must have sounded. "I mean, er, yes, I know him…" She swept her head from side to side, her long bangs brushing the top of the counter. "Why…are you doing this…It's not part of the job description…"

"It's because I _want_ to, not because I _need_ to."

* * *

"Hello, Pailong." Jun gazed down mournfully upon the former martial arts legend's body. "You've done great this year. This is the most responsive you've ever been. I'm so…happy." Her eyes softened. "There might actually be a chance. It would be the best Christmas present I ever received if you were to get better." She laughed. "I'm so happy right now. I can't believe it's been so many years. It's Christmas Eve again."

She leaned down over him. "Why am I doing this? So many people tell me I've chained myself to a dying man. But look at us now. We're proving them wrong. But why am I doing this? It's not like I need to. I could've signed off on you. I could've given up. It would've saved me so much time and effort and…everything. It wasn't my duty. But…I wanted to. I wanted…no, I _want_ to save you, Pailong. Why…why…I've never felt so strongly about…anything before. Not about pursuing medicine. Not about working at St. Luke's International. Not even after Lady Sati's death. Why…I always get that question."

She pushed his hair back like she always had for the past five years.

"I fear you will think me to be quite strange but…I believe I have fallen in love with you."

* * *

"Hello, Jeanne." Lyserg forced a smile as she sat down.

"Hi, Lyserg." She joined him, extremely exhausted.

"How are you?" His voice sounded exceedingly fake.

"I'm…fine." She turned to him, unaccustomed to small talk coming from him.

"Lovely weather we're having, hmm?" She noticed that he was looking everywhere but at her.

"I suppose, if you like the snow."

He genuinely brightened up and finally looked at her. "Speaking of snow, guess where I'm going to be by next winter?"

"Ah…here…?" She prayed that he would still be, in fact, here.

He shook his head, his face all aglow. "Nope. Connecticut!"

She inhaled sharply. "Wh-What?"

"I just found out yesterday. Sorry, I couldn't hold it in anymore." He grinned. "I applied early to the University of Hartford for grad school…to specialize further for nursing."

"I…I didn't know that you wanted to specialize." Jeanne felt like someone had slapped her. "I didn't even know you were applying…"

"Yeah, I know. I didn't tell anyone. Almost like…almost like how you didn't tell anyone you were pregnant…"

Jeanne bit her lip.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me! I mean, wipe that, I can't believe you didn't tell _anyone_ besides Ren that you were pregnant! Do you know how bad that would be if you didn't get the proper medication and medical attention if your doctor didn't…Jeanne? Jeanne. What are you…oh, crap."

She had been crying silently.

"Er, I'm sorry. I'm…I'm an idiot." He knelt down beside her and placed his thumb under chin, tilting her head up. "I'm sorry. That was…that was out of line."

"No…it wasn't. You're right. I should have…I should have told someone. It's just that…" Her voice trailed off. "No, it's silly."

"No! I mean, no, it's probably not silly. You can tell me." He drew out his handkerchief from his pocket and passed it to her.

She sighed and wiped her face off. "I suppose I felt that if maybe…if I kept it to myself and didn't say it out loud…maybe it wouldn't make it real. That it would be less real to me if no one knew. If I didn't talk about it or mention it. I'm scared. The Tao family changed its conditions. Instead of waiting for Ren and I to be married before we conceived, they got impatient as they saw how powerful the X-LAWS were getting so they ordered for me to become pregnant before the wedding. To minimize the waiting time. After three months into the pregnancy which is when the baby bump becomes noticeable, then I would marry Ren in a shotgun wedding…so instead of waiting for nine months, he could just divorce me sooner in six." She dabbed at her eyes. "See, it's silly…"

Lyserg smiled gently. "No, it's not. First of all, what they're doing to you is despicable. You should never be treated that way. It _should_ be how you're feeling. Jeanne. I think that… you forget…and everyone forgets that you're just _seventeen_. You shouldn't feel like you're ready to have a child. And even if you do, you need to remember that you have an entire lifetime of opportunities and experiences and possibilities that you are missing out on because you're having a child. I know that you are a very compassionate person but…you're still a teenager. You haven't even been to college yet. You're independent. And self-sufficient. You're not ready…at least at this point in your life to have a child. Maybe later. Maybe in the future. But not now. You haven't even learned to completely care for and love yourself. You're not even close to knowing what it's like to love another person romantically…no matter what you say about Ren. So what makes _anyone_ think that you're even prepared to love a child like a mother should?"

She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "That was… the nicest and most helpful thing anyone's ever said to me."

"You know…" he mumbled. "I didn't know the University of Hartford existed until a month and a half ago."

She raised her head backwards slowly to look at him. "Then…why did you apply there?"

"Because I really want to go there. Not because they have a superior program for what I want to do. Not because it's my dream school. I applied there and am now going there because it is exactly 41.7 miles away from Yale University."

"Lyserg…" she whispered.

"Yale agreed to hold your acceptance for a couple of months into the next fall semester… you know, to finalize settlements and arrangements for your future child."

"How did you—"

"Let's just say that I do a _very_ convincing Jeanne D'Fer impression," he explained in a surprisingly good falsetto. "Oh, and you left your Yale profile open on the computer yesterday when you left to get some more latex gloves for Pirika."

"Lyserg, I can't…" She smiled as her eyes began filling with tears again. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

"Because I want…I _want _to be…with you. I don't know why but I just do for whatever reason and…and I'll wait for you in America. No matter how long it takes."

* * *

"Dad? Please…I just…No, don't hang up…" Pirika smoothed back her hair as she spoke to her father on the phone. She was grateful that she was talking to him in a secluded, spare guest room of the Asakura residence. She would've hated for everyone else at the party see her close to tears. "Dad… I'm not here to lecture you… I know, I _know_. I'm sorry. I know that Horohoro and I messed up—no, please, I just wanted…I just…" She bit her lip. "I just want to be a family again. Please, dad? Can we please be a family again? Just for one day, just for Christmas. Please. That's all I'm asking. Please…Tou-chan?" she pleaded, calling him daddy for the first time in over a decade.

The line on the other side fell silent and it finally clicked as it went dead.

"Dad…dad…daddy…" She let the phone fall from her hand. "I'm alone…" Pirika whispered. "I'm surrounded by everyone but I've been left alone by my family…" She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to not fall from her face. "Daddy… Horohoro… I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you…"

"Pirika."

She jumped and turned around. "Hunnh? Who's there?" She could barely see anything through her tears, her vision further addled in the dark guest room.

"Pirika… don't ever say that." A pair of arms wrapped around her.

"Horohoro!" she sobbed into his chest.

"I'm sorry for…being the worst older brother ever and I'm sorry that you've had to go through so much on your own and I'm sorry that I'm never there for you and I'm sorry that—"

"Horohoro…" she sniffed. "Shut up, you're ruining the moment."

"Okay."

She just lay there, her head resting against her older brother. "Dad…dad's not…" Her entire being heaved as she tried to suppress another sob.

"I know, I know. Shh…I know." He hugged her tightly one last time before pushing her away and looking into her eyes. "But you know what? Screw him."

"But our family…it's…it's fragmented and…we're all broken…and it's Christmas…" she blubbered.

"Nuh huh. Shh, you're ruining the moment. But seriously. Screw him. We have each other, right? And we'll be family forever to each other, yeah? And look…" He reached back and flung the door out of the guest room open. "Just _look_. And _listen_. _There's_ our family. Yoh's another brother to you. And Redseb and Seyram are like your nephew and niece. And…and Tamao is like your sister. And Anna could be another sister, even if I'm convinced she's homicidal. And…Kino and Yohmei and Mikihisa and Keiko are like our grandparents and parents. And Lyserg's like your dorky younger brother even if he's older than you. And Jeanne's the little sister you've always wanted. And Jun, even is she's not here right now, is another mother. And Ren and Hao can be the creepy neighbors—"

Pirika hiccupped and smacked him in the arm.

He laughed. "See? You're…you're _surrounded_ by family. Heck, who cares if they're not really related to us? Look at how our biological family treated us. I'd take all our friends over our actual family members!" He smiled. "Now, wipe away those tears, and let's go and join our family."

"O…Okay." She joined him outside the room.

Brother and sister walked arm in arm back to the party. "So…does this mean I'm forgiven now?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh quiet."

He scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Huh, I wonder when Jun and Ren are gonna arrive."

* * *

Jun was roused from her nap by Pailong's bedside when she heard a hesitant cough from the doorway. "Oh…Ren…" She snapped to attention and stood up as fast as possible, patting her hair and fixing her crumpled coat. "Ren." She curtly nodded at him as she proceeded towards the door.

He refused to meet her eyes, a trait rather unusual for a Tao. "I'm sorry, Jun."

She paused, her foot halfway down to the floor in mid-step. "For…what?"

He turned his head away sharply. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I tried. I'm so sorry I failed you…Nee-san."

Jun whirled around to face him. It had been over a decade since he had last called her that. "Ren, what happened?" she asked.

"I'm sorry…" He backed away from the door, still refusing to meet her gaze, before he disappeared down the stairs.

"Ren! What happened? Ren! What are you—" She stepped back defensively as several men crowded towards her as if seemingly out of nowhere. "Marco…" she breathed, her eyes narrowed.

"Dr. Tao," he acknowledged abruptly.

"Nichrom? What are you doing here?" she hissed as the Patch doctor stepped into view.

"We're here because of your…hmm…patient." Marco adjusted his glasses.

"I thought I had until after Christmas."

"Hmm." He took out a slim black book and opened it, his eyes quickly scanning the pages expertly. "Hmm, whoever told you that is wrong. We were due here…" He flipped a few pages back, studying every page until he saw what he was looking for. "Nine weeks ago." The X-LAWS CEO snapped the book closed and slipped it back into his pocket. "So, I would say, Dr. Tao, that we were already being quite generous as you had your…final moments with this little…project of yours." He motioned towards Pailong.

"'_Project_'?! How _dare_ you—" she snarled.

"I wouldn't, if I were you, Tao," Nichrom sneered.

"And thank whatever deity is up there in the skies that you are _not_ me, because if you were, then the plug on Pailong's life would've been pulled _five years ago_, you little, ingratiating—"

"Hmm, I'm getting rather tired of your tirades, doctor. At first, when I learned of your… dedication to our little coma case, I found it rather… amusing. Endearing, if you will. The unnecessary effort and time spent on Mr. Lee here was concentrated in a distant branch, _away_ from our most important hospitals, including St. Luke's. The costs were at first minimal. But of course, as more and more of Mr. Lee's family began disowning and estranging themselves from him, the expenses were shifted to be covered by the _public_. To be covered by…" Marco's eyes flashed resentfully. "The X-LAWS." He placed both of his hands behind his back. "And then the costs began adding up and he became somewhat of a leech on our funds."

"A _leech_? The impact of his medical bills will barely even leave a scratch on that… that financial behemoth—"

"Hmm, I prefer the term 'empire.'"

"—you've created. Is this really what you're so worried about, Marco? Are you really that greedy and self-centered? That you care about less than a hundred thousand yen over the span of five _years_ more than you do about this man's _life_?"

"You see, that's where our perspectives…diverge, hmm? The thing is, is that Mr. Lee here is not in fact a totally functioning, living patient. If he were and we wanted to pull the plug on a living patient…we wouldn't. Bad press for the company and such." Marco waved his hand dismissively. "But Mr. Lee is in a permanent vegetative state, meaning, he is essentially _dead_. Just because he is breathing doesn't mean he is alive. He is all but legitimately brain dead. And we are within every right, as the payers of his costs, to demand that life support be cut off. And, for further proof, we went through additional procedures and asked Mr. Lee's immediate family and they agreed with us." Marco cleared his throat in victory. "They want the plug to be pulled as well."

"You can't just…" Jun's entire body began shaking and she couldn't see clearly anymore.

"I'm afraid we have and we _will_, Dr. Tao. And I have Dr. Patch here as my medical expert to verify to the authorities that Mr. Lee is, in fact, in a permanent vegetative state. The examination and the entire series of events will take place in St. Luke's. But first… we need to procure him from you first." Marco snapped his fingers and four of the men that had accompanied him and Nichrom stepped forth.

Jun's breathing came in shallow gasps. "You can't, you can't, you can't…"

"Was I not clear before, Dr. Tao? Or does your medical license need to be revoked in order for our message to be clear? Because that is perfectly within my capabilities as I can charge you with being mentally unfit to continue practicing—"

"You _can't_ end life support for him because he's not in a permanent vegetative state!" she yelled, her nails digging into the soft skin of her hands, threatening to draw blood.

Marco and Nichrom simply blinked at her. "What are you talking about?"

"That's why I was holding onto him for so long. Lee Pailong…he's….he's still alive, you fools! And if you pull the plug, then you will _kill_ a living man." Her voice was rising with every passing second. "You will be committing _murder_."

Nichrom scoffed. "And who are you to be diagnosing him as such? I proclaimed him to be a vegetable five years ago! And permanent vegetables have _no hope_ of waking up—"

"And you diagnosed him much earlier than the prescribed observation period was over. And you did not have another authority back up your results—"

"That's because no other medical authority needed to challenge my findings—"

"No, that's because no other hospital had access to the proper medical equipment and technology to verify it. Don't you see? Pailong…Pailong…" Jun braced herself for whatever ridicule was to follow her next statement. "Pailong is in a minimally conscious state and it is well within the capabilities of St. Luke's to bring him back into consciousness using deep brain stimulation." Jun's breathing was still erratic and she was still shaking and she feared that she was going to collapse on the floor in front of some of the country's leading authorities.

Nichrom rubbed his forehead. "MCS? MCS. Really, Jun? Really?"

"Yes," she managed to hoarsely whisper.

"I expected better from you. Marco?" The CEO snapped to attention. "You won't need to stretch the truth. Dr. Tao here _is_ unfit to continue practicing medicine. Take Lee away, boys."

"No! _No!_" Jun screamed as the remaining two of Marco's men restrained her. "You can't take him away! You can't take him away from me! You're going to—no, stop! _Murderers_! All of you! No!"

And soon, she was the only one left in the room, alone, sobbing and shaking. "Bring him back to me…I need…I want…Pailong…"

* * *

Goldva hesitated before knocking at the Asakura's door. "I hate to do this… They're having a get together in there." He grumbled before he forced himself to loudly knock.

Yoh, glass of beer in hand, appeared. "Hey!" His face fell as he saw a group of officers standing on his doorstep. "Hey…how can I help you officers?"

* * *

Jun took off her shoes and wandered down the hallways of the virtually abandoned hospital barefoot, barely noticing the frigid touch of the tiles against the undersides of her exposed feet. She placed one foot in front of another in a daze as she walked through the darkness, the only other sound besides the quiet padding of her feet was the eerie, crackly playing of a Christmas carol.

* * *

_So tender and mild_

_

* * *

_She lifted one of her hands out in front of her, unconsciously trying to grasp something she wasn't meant to have. Something she wasn't supposed to have. Something that was always out of her reach.

* * *

_Sleep in heavenly peace_

_

* * *

_She kept walking, stumbling sometimes, walking perfectly upright other times, her eyes completely blank at all times. She let her shoes fall soundlessly somewhere on the fourth or third floor. It didn't matter. She was almost jolted back to reality when she saw a single lit room on the second floor.

* * *

_Sleep in heavenly peace_

* * *

She approached the light. Inside room 207 was Anna. The girl was sitting completely still, her face completely pale, her hands trembling as they sifted through what seemed to be paper strewn all over her bed sheets.

Jun drew closer and she heard Anna keep mumbling. "Hao…Hao…why…Hao… Mount Osore…Killing…Spree…Hao…Eight dead…Strangled…Why…Why…_Why_…" The girl whirled around when she heard Jun walk to her bedside. "Doctor… doctor… Something bad…something _very_ bad happened… six years ago…" She looked up at Jun, half crazed.

"Anna...what happened?"

* * *

Hao appeared next to his brother. "Yoh, who is it?" His face similarly lost its former happy expression as he saw who was at the door. "Chief…"

"Hao…" Goldva narrowed his eyes at him. "Mr. Asakura," he continued, addressing Yoh. "We need to take you into custody right now for questioning. We believe that you are closely associated with the murderer…the culprit of the Mount Osore killing spree six years ago." Goldva turned to face Hao.

"Hao? Officer? What's—"

"Rest assured, Mr. Asakura, all our questions will be answered. Just come with us, please."

* * *

_All is calm, all is bright_

_

* * *

_**A/N:** this was an extremely powerful chapter to write (which is why i took several days to write it...didn't want to give you readers a half-assed job). very integral and doesn't require a long author's note. nope, i know there isn't any YohAnna in this chapter...but it was important to me and the story that their story be written _after_ Christmas. And the other characters mean just as much to me and the development of this story. **EXPECT AN UPDATE TOMORROW**. last update before christmas. and it's a chapter about Pirika's story to the Munzer kids about Yoh and Anna. After christmas and through new year's I will try to finish up this one monster of a story...i honestly didn't know it would evolve into so much more than a simple Xmas fic. please, please, **please review**. this chapter meant a lot to me and i worked very hard on it. thank you for reading/reviewing/fav-ing/alerting. it means **a lot**. =) happy days

ps: apologies for any typos. i'll go through this chapter and last chapter for typos tomorrow. i'm exhausted -__-


	9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

**A/N**: **IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER OR MISSED THE UPDATE, PLEASE GO BACK AND READ (Chapter 8: Silent Night).**

Happy Holidays, from ShatteredLyre to you! And a very, very happy (belated) birthday to **RevesCasses!** =) everyone, please read the author's note in the end

* * *

**9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas**

"We have to get going," he whispered as he roused his young wife from her sleep.

"What's happening?" she murmured groggily, rubbing at her eyes as she sat up in bed.

He slipped a shawl over her shoulders and snatched their belongings he had hurriedly been packing away for the last hour. "We don't have much time. Amidamaru just sent word—"

She paused before she exited the building they had taken shelter in. "They're coming, aren't they?"

Yoh hesitated before nodding and ushering her outside. "Yes. Yes they are. That's why we need to go." He locked the door.

"So we can be safe," she said sleepily.

The two somehow made the trek safely beyond the city borders, Yoh always concerned that the trip would be too harsh for his nine months already pregnant wife.

"Yoh, calm down," Anna ordered firmly. "That's Funbari Hill. We just passed Funbari Hill." Anna looked so relieved that she could've collapsed. "We made it out safely."

"Sorry…It's just…" Yoh sighed. "It's good and all that we're beyond his reach but we still need a place to stay. I don't want my expecting wife to be left out in the cold." He pressed his lips to the top of her head.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Stop being so cheesy. I'm sure we'll be able to find a resting place. There are probably many houses and residents that will be more than willing to take us in."

As Anna began walking away from him to begin asking around for shelter, Yoh shook his head. "I hope so."

"Excuse me, I know that this a lot to ask of you and your family but…could my wife and I impose on you for just one night?" Yoh pled on the doorstep of the first family's house.

"Why, of course, I don't see why not. Just step inside and—" The woman who had answered the door froze. "Ah… I'm sorry is…is your wife _pregnant_?"

Yoh looked back at Anna uncertainly. "Yes, she is…Nine months. Is that a problem?" he asked in confusion.

"Erm… well, that certainly changes things. I'm sorry, I don't think… Yes, I'm afraid that I won't be able to shelter you today. Perhaps any other day. But not tonight. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The woman shut the door in the couple's faces.

Yoh and Anna continued from house to house, imploring the owners if they could sleep there for the night. And at every doorstep, they were met with the same response: once they found out Anna was expecting, they refused.

"What is their problem? Turning us away because Anna is pregnant…" Yoh angrily muttered. "I can't believe these people! What is wrong with this town?" he demanded. Yoh turned around to face his wife. "What do you suppose is going through their minds?"

"Yoh…" Anna had been walking behind him slowly, her eyes trained to the ground. "They're… they're justified in what they are doing…"

"The nerve of it all! If I had Amidamaru and Harusame with me, I would teach them all a very painful—wait, what?" Yoh halted in his angry tirade.

Anna morosely stared at the ground. "It's all my fault…"

"Don't…Don't say that. That's not true. What are you talking about?"

"We're trying to escape from Hao because…of the huge genocide he's committing, right?" Anna explained. "He's killing all the infants in the city to ensure that he kills the Shaman King's heir."

"I know _that_…but—"

"These people could be executed for harboring and assisting us. It's only to be expected that they wouldn't want to take in a woman who's nine months pregnant. I could give birth at any time." Anna threw her head back, sending her hair flying out behind her. "We need to press on."

Yoh nodded and jogged to catch up with her. "All right then. But we'll keep hope." He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We only have one last house we haven't tried yet…" she whispered. "What are…" She clenched her jaw and let her breath escape in a frustrated stream through her teeth. "What are the chances they'll let us in?" She wrapped her cloak tighter around her, her nails cutting into the rough, woven fabric Kino had given her years before.

"We'll keep hope," Yoh repeated simply. "We will." They tentatively approached the final doorstep. "An inn… How fitting." Yoh smiled. "Just like the one you always wanted."

Anna sniffed disdainfully. "I want an _onsen_, thank you very much." She stepped forward forcefully and rapped at the wooden door of the inn. "Now we just wait."

The door opened a smidge before it stopped. "Shut up, Kalim! No, it's probably not for you…who would visit you at this hour anyways…or ever…" Then the door swung open all the way. "Quiet down in there! I know you're trying to curse me. Jeez." The man who had been yelling stepped through and leaned on the doorframe. "Well, hello there, little ones. What can I do you for?"

Yoh smiled at the hulking man with the long hair and stepped in front of Anna to shield her from his view. "I'm sorry to impose on you so late at night but I was wondering if my wife and I could stay here for the night." At the mention of her, Anna drew her cloak around her ever tighter to conceal the huge baby bump.

"Wife and man searching for shelter on a cold winter night, eh?" The man tossed his hair back. "Technically, we shouldn't be renting out to travelers tonight." The innkeeper saw the crestfallen look on Yoh's face. "King Hao's orders and such."

Yoh felt his head spinning. "Ah…of…of course. I'm sorry, we shouldn't even be…Excuse us—" The two began backing away from the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second. I said '_Technically_.' Not that I wouldn't. We'd be happy to shelter you. Just keep it on the down low." The man looked around furtively outside before quickly yanking Yoh and Anna indoors and shutting the door.

"Silva? Silva. Who was at the—" Another man with equally long but wavy hair stopped, a tray of cookies in his hands and an apron stretched precariously tight over his large frame. "Who's this?"

"These are young travelers." Who Yoh supposed to be 'Silva' waved his hands to calm 'Kalim' down. "Now, now, I know what you're going to say—"

"Oh really? Because I'm pretty sure that I was going to bring up the fact that sheltering these people is an offense against the throne. That is punishable by imprisonment," Kalim huffed. "I'm pretty sure they don't let people bake in prison, Silva! They have _other_ ways of getting their kicks, if you know what I mean. And another thing—"

The entire room went silent as Anna had, in a momentary lapse in judgment, let her cloak fall away from her midsection.

"By the gods…" Kalim backed away from the three other people in the room. "Oh this is just _perfect_. Now this is _treason_ against the throne. A capital punishment! I really would prefer having my head attached to my neck. Instead of, you know, having it chopped off by a guillotine!"

Yoh stepped forward, his face illuminated by the moonlight that was filtering in through the inn's glass windows. "I'm sorry that we didn't tell you before, but we were desperate! Hao's men would've killed us by now."

"You…" Silva breathed, his eyes going wide.

"I'm…I'm sorry. We truly are." Yoh sunk to the ground and groveled before the two innkeepers.

"Yoh!" Anna hissed.

"Anna, I know what I'm doing," he called, his forehead and hands pressed firmly against the ground.

"Get up," Silva ordered.

Yoh slowly lifted himself back onto his feet. "I am very sorry that we didn't tell you—"

"Don't you _ever_ be submissive to anyone ever again. It is truly…" Silva got down onto his knees instead as did Kalim. "A disgrace to see you behave in that fashion."

Yoh blinked. "W-What?"

"It is such…such an honor to have you in our humble abode." Silva and Kalim looked up. "You are the Shaman King."

Yoh scratched the back of his head. "Um…Okay, guys. You really don't need to—"

"Our savior!" The two turned to Anna. "And you are the Shaman Queen. You are bearing the heir to the legacy of the most powerful line of shamans!"

"The heir that Hao wants to kill," Anna mumbled.

"Please forgive my actions. I was so rude earlier. I had no idea." Kalim reached out towards them. "Here, let me take your belongings to our spare rooms."

"Ah, thanks. Don't worry about it. We've encountered way worse things this evening." Yoh nervously laughed.

"Every other house here turned us away," Anna explained.

Silva shook his head. "To imagine… Rejecting the Shaman King and Queen and their heir…"

"Hmph. At least we have a place to—" Anna's spine went rigid, her face pale, her pupils fully dilated.

"Anna!" Yoh lurched forward to catch her after she staggered and collapsed against the inn wall.

"Y-Yoh…I think…" Anna could barely speak as her body kept going into spasms of shaking. "The baby…" She looked up at him, fear overflowing in her eyes. "He's coming."

Several hours later, thanks to Kalim's expertise and prior experience with childbirth (he was known as the "Patch man midwife" in their town), Anna, Yoh, and their son Hana were safe and sound in the inn.

Silva knocked before he entered. "Is everything okay in here?"

Yoh nodded. "Thank you so much. I…I honestly don't know what would've happened if you and Kalim hadn't taken us in." When he turned to face the innkeeper, he found Silva cursing himself.

"I feel like such a fool…Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? The son of the Shaman King and Queen… I can't believe you had to deliver him in the inn's kitchen! That is nowhere close to befitting the future Shaman King…" Silva banged his fist against the wall of the kitchen.

Yoh rushed over to calm him down. "Hey, now! Don't be so hard on yourself. It was the closest place we could've gotten to before Anna went into labor." He patted him on the shoulder. "And this humble birthplace will serve as a continual reminder of his roots… A reminder of the day of his birth. That he wasn't born into a life of comfort and luxury. He was born into world that he shares with his people… the common people." Yoh smiled. "And that's what a true leader needs. A true connection to his kingdom."

Silva bobbed his head in compliance. "Thank you, sir." He bowed before exiting the room.

"Nice speech, king." Anna smugly smiled at her husband from the makeshift bed Yoh, Kalim, and Silva had made for her.

"How are you?" Upon feeling her still burning up, he placed a damp cloth on her forehead.

"Exhausted but ha…content."

He grinned at her. "You were going to say _happy,_ weren't you?"

She looked down at her baby. "You see this man sitting next to me? I will be very angry if you turn out to be like him in the future."

"Come on, Anna… The kid can only be so lucky to turn out like me," Yoh teased as he put his hands behind his head.

"First, we need a name. No more referring to him as 'the kid.' Or 'hey, you.'"

Yoh put his hands up in mock surrender. "You're the only one who refers to him as 'Hey, you.'"

Anna glared at him. "As I was saying…" She peered into the bundle in her arms. "Let's name him after your side… Carry on the legacy and such."

Yoh snorted. "Seriously? Yoh? Yohmei? Yohken? Or even better, Yohmei-Yohken Yoh-alot the Third?" He shook his head. "That's terrible. And very uncreative."

"Then what do you propose?"

"Let's… name him Hana."

Anna quirked an eyebrow. "Hana?"

Yoh stretched his arms. "It's half my name, half your name. Yoh. Anna. Hana. Because we're both equally responsible for the little guy. Enough with giving my side all the credit for everything. He wouldn't be here without you, might as well make it known." He bopped his son on the nose playfully. "And I sure as heck wouldn't be here without you either."

"You're being cheesy again," Anna warned. "Hana… It's not completely terrible. Let's keep it."

"Good to know I didn't screw up for once."

Anna nodded in agreement. "So have you given any thought as to how we're going to escape unnoticed? Because if any of Hao's men see us… we're good as dead."

"I don't know. Maybe we'll go to China. Ren'll help us out there. Or Hokkaido and Horohoro and Pirika will shelter us. Or England or France where Lyserg and Jeanne can help." Yoh sighed noisily. "I don't know. It doesn't matter right now."

"Oh? And what _does_ matter, my king?" she asked sarcastically.

"What matters is that I'm here with you. And with Hana. And that we're happy and safe and healthy. What matters is this moment right now…This moment where everything is perfect in suspended time."

The End.

* * *

Pirika smiled to herself as she closed the light and she kissed the foreheads of Redseb and Seyram who had fallen asleep near the end of her story. She could've stopped when they had dozed off, but something within her prodded her to continue on, knowing that this was a story that needed to be told.

"Merry Christmas, you two."

* * *

_Let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight. _

_Make the Yule-tide gay. From now on, our troubles will be miles away._

_Here we are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us gather near to us once more._

_Through the years we all will be together, if the Fates allow. Hang a shining star upon the highest bough._

_  
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now._

_

* * *

_**A/N**: aw yay, a little happy, fuzzy moment before the DRAMA begins next chapter with Yoh and Anna! **Have a very, very, VERY happy holiday everyone! Thank you so much for reading!** Consider this to my Christmas present to you all (and if it wasn't clear, this entire chapter was Pirika's story to the Munzer kids.) So after this, expect updates starting after Christmas, and this will turn from a Christmas fic to a New Year's fic! excitement! =)

i am by no means religious (far from it, actually) or a Bible-thumping, I'm-gonna-preach-your-socks-off Catholic (just a lapsed Catholic who is still forced to go to church every Sunday by her parents), but I believe that it is important to remember that Christmas really is a Christian holiday and that it did originate with the birth of Christ... hence the very obvious allusions to the Nativity and the Holy Family in this chapter. So... yeah. You can pretend that it _isn't_ a retelling of Mary, Joseph and Jesus' story if it offends you and that I made it up in its entirety. In my mind.

**ANOTHER CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM SHATTEREDLYRE TO YOU!**: I will be posting a RenPiri Christmas ficlet later tonight and perhaps even a LysergJeanne one too! huzzah

I would **LOVE** to hear from you guys! (also, post your birthdays in your reviews so i can write you some birthday gift stories!) ;) don't forget to review

HAPPY NOCHE BUENA TO ALL MY FILIPINO READERS! (and i'm actually 7/8 Filipino ;) )

and I know that **sObertes**, you only offered jokingly but I would love it if you or anyone else would draw fanart for my stories! considering that I'm not artistically gifted in any way, shape, or form... eheh.


	10. Auld Lang Syne

**10. Auld Lang Syne**

"I can't believe you." Yoh stared at his twin brother as they sat on the benches of the Tokyo police station. "I can't believe you."

"Oh, what? What did you expect me to say?" Hao rolled his eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe…the _truth_?" Yoh said through his teeth.

"All right, gentlemen. Goldva is ready for you."

"Thanks, Silva." Hao smiled and waved at the officer who had come to call them in.

Once they were out of earshot, Yoh looked at Hao incredulously.

Hao tried ignoring the gaping stares his brother was giving him. "What is it?" he sighed.

"You _know_ the officer's name? Looks like you two are pretty friendly too!" Yoh exclaimed accusingly.

"I just come here a lot, okay?" Hao ran his hand through his long mane of hair. "I know all the officers by name. And some of their birthdays."

"Y-Y-You come…_here_…a _lot_?" Yoh spluttered out. "Why?"

"Because they called me in here a lot over the past…six years give or take."

Yoh slumped down into the chair that was in Goldva's office. "My brother is a police station junkie…" He shook his head in disbelief.

"Hello, boys. So I'm sure that you're just as confused as we are." Goldva swept into the room, shaking off his winter coat and dusting the snow off of it before hanging it up. "So sorry that we had to ruin your Christmas…" The police head cleared his throat apologetically. "But we would like to give you as much information as possible regarding… well, regarding everything really."

"Thanks, Chief. But as you already have assumed, I already know everything there is to know about this case." Hao grimaced as Goldva turned to glare at him. "But my brother has no knowledge of it whatsoever."

"Shut it, Hao," Goldva growled. "And…I hate to admit it, but your brother has a point. Why don't we start off with what _you_ know so far about the whole fiasco?"

Hao, Goldva, and officers Silva and Kalim turned to look at Yoh who had started to feel rather uncomfortable. "Well…"

* * *

_Two Days Ago — Christmas Eve_

"Yoh, you need to come here right away," Jun whispered frantically into her cell phone. "Anna is breaking down." The doctor turned to make sure Anna didn't go into a shock induced state.

"Dr. Tao, I'm kind of busy at the moment…" She could hear the faint murmurs of people talking (and…wait, were those _sirens_ in the background?) on Yoh's end of the line.

"What? Too busy for your patient? A CC at that? Oh, and who happens to be your _fiancée_?" she snapped into the mouthpiece.

"Dr. Tao, the police are at my doorstep right now and they're…Doctor? Are you… are you okay?"

"Yes, of course, I'm okay, Asakura. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked a tad too defensively.

"I… It just sounds like you've been crying. And like you're pretty badly shaken. Sorry I asked…" he mumbled.

"I'll…I'll tell you when you get here. Anyways, why are the police at your place? Blasting music too loud again? Hardly anything to be stressed about."

"No, no. And that was Horohoro's fault last time. They're…they're going on about…some murder story that…" She heard him sigh in exasperation. "I don't even know anymore. I'm so—"

"The Mount Osore killing spree?"

There was exactly fifteen seconds of complete silence on both ends of the line. "Doctor," Yoh said quietly. "How did you know that?"

"Well, Anna over here has dozens and dozens of clippings of articles from different newspapers spread out all over her bed. Who knows how she even got a hold of these. Some of them were from the actual year they occurred."

"That makes sense though. She grew up in Osorezan and only started living in Izumo four years ago. She probably was in the same village as the people who were killed. She probably knew the people who were murdered!" Jun heard Yoh mutter something under his breath. "No wonder she's having a break down right now…"

"You best come over here as soon as possible, you understand, Asakura?" Jun wanted to end the conversation and tend to Anna who had collapsed in the bed in the middle of her phone call.

"Yeah, I'll just…I'll just tie up any loose ends with the police and head on over to the hospital. Thanks… Dr. Tao." Yoh paused. "And… everything will work out for the best, okay?"

"Hopefully for your fiancée it will."

"No. No, that's not what I meant. I was talking about you and Pailong." And then he hung up.

* * *

_Several Hours Later_

"What took you so long?" Jun demanded, blood smeared all over her gloves and coat.

"I…" Yoh slumped against the wall of the ICU.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost. Why so pale? I should be the one all sick looking. Kyoyama's vitals have slipped. She's internally bleeding and some of her wounds have reopened!" She pulled out a fresh pair of gloves. "I look like I've been slaughtering cattle all night.

"Dr. Tao," he whispered. "They… They told me that the one who killed those eight people in Osorezan…was…" Yoh looked like he could've slumped to the floor at any second.

"Boris, right? He's been the prime suspect for a couple of years now so it's about time that—"

"Anna."

"What about her?" Jun shoved through the doors of the ICU. "We need to hurry if we want to save her. She's undergoing huge hemorrhaging right now."

"No. They said…they said my fiancée is the murderer." Yoh's eyes looked empty. "Anna is the killer."

Jun slowly lifted her hands away from the bloody body of Anna Kyoyama. "What…did you say…?"

"Anna killed those people…those eight people six years ago. She's the person who was behind the Mount Osore killing spree… I think I'm…I think I'm going to be sick." Yoh's body heaved.

"Asakura. Pull yourself together," Jun barked. "Nurse first, sentiments later." She roughly seized him by the chin and forced him to raise his eyes to meet hers. "And your first duty as a nurse is to _assist_ your doctor. And you can do so by explaining to me what… exactly… happened."

"I'm sorry, doctor. I'm sorry." Yoh took a deep breath. "They suspected Hao for so many years… since he was at the scene of every murder… but he was just trying to protect her. Can you imagine that? Hao was _protecting_ someone. He withheld all he knew during his interrogations so that Anna wouldn't be arrested."

"Then how did they get to the conclusion that _Anna_ was the killer? They went through several other suspects."

"A photograph just recently surfaced. It was a picture of her crouched next to one of the bodies she just killed. She looked… She didn't look like Anna." He shook his head. "She looked like an animal. She had blood all over her hands and…Her eyes were… They were so hungry and starved and bloodthirsty and they way she was postured… She didn't look human."

Jun laughed in disbelief. "This is…This is real life… not some goddamn _CSI: Tokyo_!" She threw up her hands, letting the dirtied gloves go flying. "Are they absolutely _sure_ about this?"

Yoh looked up at her pathetically. "Of course they are, doctor. Of course they are," he moaned. "It's a six year old cold case. They wouldn't come to any final decisions without substantial evidence to back it up. They found her prints all over the crime scene. Her prints! They had them before but never thought of investigating a young girl for a crime so… unbelievable."

"No DNA tests?"

"No. Not enough funding yet. But they're going to get the feds involved."

Dr. Tao closed her eyes and rocked back and forth slowly on her heels. "How did she…ah, how did she…" She made a '_Well, you know…_' gesture.

"What? How did she kill her victims?" Yoh asked emotionlessly.

The doctor nodded.

"Sometimes she used a knife but in every murder she…she strangled them. With her bare hands. Can you imagine that? She was just a fifteen year old girl and a couple of the people she killed were full grown men." Yoh ran his hands against the instrument stand that Jun had set up next to Anna's bedside. "No one knows how she did it…" He looked down upon Anna's erratically breathing form. "_A lily-girl, not made for this world…_" he recited softly.

Jun threw down her gloves and ripped her doctor's coat off. "Excuse me, I can't do this… I can't handle this right now." She stalked out of the room.

"Huh. You're wearing the dress," Yoh said, trying to sound as casual as the present circumstances could permit. "_The _dress."

Jun leaned against Conchi's security desk and looked down at her black and gold party dress she was supposed to show up at Yoh's Christmas get together earlier in the evening. "Trying to get your mind off things?"

"_The_ dress. The come here and screw me black and gold dress that you realized that Pailong's leading ladies always wore in his movies."

"Shut it." Jun realized that both she and Yoh were beginning to regain some color. She drew out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket.

"Since when did you smoke? Macchi indoctrinate you finally?"

"It relieves stress. And this is my first time in a long time. And no, she did not indoctrinate me. I just found her secret stash in the ladies' room." Jun took a long drag from the cigarette.

"Smoking violates hospital sanitary protocol."

"Screw protocol, Asakura. We have a _murderer_ on our hands," she spat out, returning the cigarette to her lips.

"I know, doctor. I know." Yoh walked back into the ICU, leaving Jun alone with her thoughts.

"Anna…" The girl looked up at him, her lids fighting to keep themselves half-open, her ragged bursts of breath amplified by a machine. "You need to try to tell me everything you remember about Mount Osore. Please."

Anna faded into consciousness and unconsciousness. Her voice was seemingly uncooperative and she only managed a throaty, raspy groan before the morphine Jun had pumped into her kicked in.

_Please_.

* * *

_Six Years Ago_

"Mount Osore killing spree. Seven dead in two weeks. No suspects yet, killer still on the loose. If you see any signs of suspicious activity or any information concerning the murderer, please contact your nearest police station. Now we're going over to Meene Montgomery for some interviews with eye witnesses." The news anchor gave a grave smile before the screen transitioned to a calm, blond reporter.

"Thanks, John." Meene Montgomery addressed the camera and turned to a village woman. "Now this woman says that she was at one of the scenes of the murders when it was actually taking place."

The trembling woman looked uncertainly at her interviewer, then at the camera, then back at Meene.

Meene smiled at her. "It's okay, go ahead," she whispered. "Before my career goes down the drain," she muttered, careful not to say that into the microphone.

The woman still looked frightened and she hesitated before she spoke. "I-I-It was t-terrible…" She swallowed before continuing. "She took several swipes at the poor, poor man's face and then…and then h-h-her hands wrapped around his neck and—oh, God it was _awful_."

"'She'? So you're saying that the killer is a girl?" Meene pressed the shaken woman she was interviewing.

The woman bit her lip before she shook her head. "All I saw was the killer's hair… The murderer had long, light hair and…" She began sobbing. Meene signaled for the cameraman to stop rolling.

"And there you have it, folks. Back over to Lucky for tips on spotting suspicious behavior in your neighborhoods. This is Meene Mont—"

Anna hit mute on the television at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant she was currently sitting at.

"The entire village thinks you're a witch or a murderer or both…"

"Quiet, Hao." Anna didn't want to open her eyes to look at him.

"Of course…_Anna_."

"Are you going to tell anyone?" She reluctantly opened her eyes.

"No, no. Where's the fun in that?" Hao frowned as his comment didn't evoke a response from her.

A small boy tottered over to Anna and looked up at her. A woman nearby shrieked. "Darling, don't talk to that child. Don't you know she's the village outcast? She's dangerous." The indignant woman scooped her son up and walked away, glaring at Anna all the while. "No wonder her father left such a long time ago…left both her and her godforsaken mother."

"She doesn't even deserve to be called human! Just like her mother," the woman's friend scoffed.

Hao's fists began shaking, the wood underneath his hands beginning to sear. "Calm down," Anna warned. "Remember what happens when you get angry… Just let it go. I'm used to comments like that."

Hao took a couple of deep breaths and he felt the temperature of his hands reduce significantly. "Yes. Last time I lost my temper, I burnt down the ranger's HQ up in the mountains." He smiled and snapped his fingers, a flame igniting out of seeming nothingness above it for a split second, much too quick for anyone around except for Anna to see. "And last time _you_ lost your temper…" He reclined in his chair and gestured at the silent television, the banner of _MOUNT OSORE SERIAL KILLER STILL ON THE LOOSE_ perpetually scrolling at the bottom of the screen. "Well…"

"Stop it."

The owner of the restaurant walked over to their table, stopping a few feet away, and pointed at the door, indicating that it was closing time.

"Why do you tolerate me?" Anna asked the air in front of her unfeelingly.

"What do you mean?"

"You hate everyone. You hate humans. And yet you willingly talk to me." She exhaled, her warm breath curling up into the night air. "Why is that?"

Hao drummed the tips of fingers against each other, his hands forming a steeple. "It's because we are veritable bastards of society, Anna. We're not like everyone else. I hate humans. We're not human. Even everyone else knows it." He held his hand in front of him to illustrate his point, nodding affirmatively as several people they passed by on the sidewalk walked in a large arc around them, some of them even going so far as to cross the street to avoid having to come into contact with the two. "See?" He stuck his hand back into his pocket. "We are the cursed ones."

"Still…"

"You are the only other person I know who understands what it truly means to suffer." Hao shook his hair to free it of the rain that was falling down on it.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, referring to the rain that was falling.

"Why? Because my essence is made up of fire and rain is continuously pelting me in droplets right now?" he asked teasingly. She nodded. "Does it hurt when you keep seeing your victims' faces on the television?" She simply kept walking. "Of course it hurts. But we endure it."

"Our situations aren't the same…" She stopped in her tracks.

A scream rang out in the night as the two had rounded the corner on a quieter street. "_You_!" Anna recognized her as the woman who had been interviewed earlier on the news. "You took him away!" she screeched, pointing a quivering finger at Anna. "You took him away and it's all your fault." The accusing woman clutched at her hair. Anna felt the adrenaline in her own blood begin to pump into her system, her heartbeat race, her pupils dilate. "And he's never coming back now!"

"Anna…" Hao clutched her arm in an attempt to calm her down. "Don't."

And then Anna collapsed.

* * *

"Yes, Yohmei. She's…just unconscious. Nothing to worry about. I'm simply keeping an eye on her as you have asked. She'll soon be ready, I think." Hao had been crouching over Anna for the past hour or so. "No, I'm not trying to violate her. How offensive." Hao hung up on him.

"Wh-What happened…" Anna whispered as she roused from her unconsciousness.

"Good morning, sunshine."

"Hao." She sat up. "What happened."

"Mmm…"

"Eight now…right?" she said softly. "I killed her, didn't I?"

"Pretty much." Hao shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"How can you act like that? I just _killed_ someone. I'm sorry if I actually have somewhat of a conscience, unlike you, Mr. Pyro," she snapped.

He crouched down spread the snow from his hands into her hair. "How can you expect anyone to love…to love a monster?" he whispered, cupping her face. "Everyone hates you!" He smiled. "Don't you see, Anna? You aren't worthy of anything else besides hatred." He stared into her eyes, grinning and then suddenly his hand flared up and burnt her cheek.

"Bastard," she hissed as he wiped his hands off and stood up.

"Come with me." He stretched his palm out and offered it to her. "We'll start anew. We're both cursed. We're both only capable of hatred, only worthy of hatred. Let us live our lives as society wants us to: bitter, angry, and vengeful."

"Never." She spat on the ground next to her, rubbing snow to ease the burn on her face.

"Oh? And what are you going to do then? From the way I see it, the only good opportunity you have is joining me."

Her hands came crashing down onto the ground and she shoved herself up. "I'm going to go by myself. Atone for what I have done. And then I'll start anew." She drew her feet together and clasped her hands rigidly in front of herself. "By myself."

Hao smirked. "And you really think that that will work? Running away from your past?"

"I need to try. For myself." She began walking away from him as he shook his head smilingly and jammed his hands into his pockets and kicked at the slush on the ground. "And I need to get away from you."

"It's never going to work. You can't ever escape what or who has been in your past, Kyoyama."

* * *

_Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?_

_

* * *

_**A/N**: So...yeah. Short chapter but very complicated. I think I got confused myself several times before I got it right, necessitating several rewrites. And I wrote all of this in the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland! =) yup, so here on out, yay drama and murders and cold cases and serial killers! prepare for some twists yayyy. and i suppose the fic will end when it will end. I'll just be taking it slow to make sure everything develops correctly. I hope everyone had/is having a **GREAT **holiday! and will have a splendid new year. well, since I and all a bajillion of my relatives are straight up Roman Catholic (and Filipino), I had been going to simbang gabi... -__- and went to Mass (it was actually really nice this year) before having the biggest noche buena dinner ever! it was great, having the house stuffed with relatives. How did **you** guys celebrate the holidays and new year's eve????

for those of you who offered to do some fanart for this pathetic excuse for a story... I love you so. I honestly do not care what medium/how the characters look/etc since I'm still floored that anyone would actually want to draw/paint anything for this... It's totally up to you! =) thank you so much!

ps: what may seem like "inconsistencies" are a result of the fact that this story is not linearly told. the story itself covers a little bit over a month of plot but obviously only covers bits and pieces of it along with flashbacks so some of the character interactions and relationships are based off of incidents that aren't covered in the fic..... don't worry about loose ends or whatnot. I have that covered.

reason why Chapter 8 (Silent Night) is so important to me: when I started writing Critical Condition, I only had a few solid lines and visuals in my head that I knew the entire story was going to hinge on: the excerpt I debuted in **My Commensal** of course, Pirika asking her father "Can we be a family again?", Jun telling Pailong: "I fear that you will think me to be quite strange but…I believe I have fallen in love with you.", Chocolove and Mic, and the whole University of Hartford/Yale deal between Lyserg and Jeanne. so yeah...pretty important to me.

i think the overwhelming majority of the stories I'll write after this will be humor/comedy, as you can probably tell if you have seen my author's page. which one are you most excited about? After Critical Condition is over I'll be starting:

**Bad Romance** (not so subtly named after the Lady GaGa song of the same name)**, Down the Rabbit Hole, **restart **Camera Obscura, **regularly update **121 Theme Challenge** (which the link for can be found on my author's page at the bottom if you're interested), **Heavy Hearts Brigade** (finished for the most part and is my last planned dramatic piece for a long, LONG time), **My Commensal** (new chapter is written and ready to go which is basically a preview of **Bad Romance**), **The Emperor and I **(because I enjoy writing fairytale type retellings), **Mismatched Adventures!** (the summaries for all of these can be found on my author's page.) 2010 is shaping up to be an even more exciting year for writing for me and I cannot wait to get these ideas out!

fun fact number something or other: originally when I revisited my ff account after years of neglect, I only had three fics planned out. now I have twenty-six. I need to keep my imagination in check... =/ SORRY FOR THE LONG ASS AUTHOR'S NOTE! I just missed writing so much. And it's only been a week!

don't forget to review! =) happy days and a happy new year!


	11. New Year's Day

**quick note**: **tfg**, I've always been meaning to thank you for your constant reviews! (but you're an anon reviewer so I couldn't message you...:( ) seriously, you are the best! and thank you for the continuing support! remind me to restart _Camera Obscura_ haha

* * *

**11. New Year's Day**

Lyserg opened his mouth to speak to the collapsed Pirika who was slumped over, hair frazzled, make up smeared, uniform wrinkled, mouth slightly agape, and eyes closed. Suddenly her hand flew up and she pointed a finger at him. "Shh…"

He flicked off a stray thread that was on his coat. "Impressive."

"I've been up for thirty-nine hours. It is common knowledge that nurses develop hyper-sensitized hearing past the thirty-hour mark." She folded her arms in front of her and nodded, her eyes still closed. "Get with the program, Lyserg."

"Funny. Interesting how you can still act like this considering the hospital's current predicament." He sat down next to her.

"Quiet, you. Do you think it'll do anyone any good if I'm a Downer Debbie along with mom and dad on paycheck day?" she asked rather exhaustedly, jutting her thumb in the general direction of the office door they were sitting outside of.

"They're _still_ fighting?" Lyserg widened his eyes.

"Yup. No one wants to give in. Well, of course not. I mean, Anna's Yoh's fiancée. No way he would stop fighting for her. And Tao is seriously caught between a rock and hard place here." Pirika squeezed the area between her eyes to combat the onset of an impending migraine.

Lyserg nodded and, using his foot, slid the coffee cup he had placed on the floor towards her. "So you think…she really did it…Hard to believe. Sad, too." He shook his head.

"Nectar of the gods!" Pirika's eyes flew open finally and she downed the coffee greedily. "Who knows at this point? The whole thing's so convoluted and messy that the police department and the feds are going to end up with their thumbs up each other's a—"

For decency's sake, the door to Jun's office swung forth, ricocheting against the wall behind it from the sheer force with which it had been flung open. "What do you want me to do?" came the angry demand.

Lyserg yelped and leapt out of his chair while Pirika shielded her coffee and tripped/stumbled out of harm's way (and of course, Dr. Tao's wrath).

The entire floor quickly went silent to observe the very much enraged doctor and the shockingly outspoken nurse duke it out. Also, their ever composed, ever poised, ever clean cut resident doctor looked as if she hadn't brushed her hair in days, was in what looked to be a party dress, and had a half burnt cigarette between the fingers she was angrily waving at Yoh (and a fresh cigarette, still unlit, ever classily tucked behind her ear for easy access).

Nurse and doctor, doctor and nurse exchanged a few verbal blows before their fuming assaults rapidly died off when they realized everyone was watching them. Jun slowly turned from facing Yoh to look at the rest of the floor who was watching her, dumbstruck faces (rather akin to several dozen replicas of Munch's _The Scream_) frozen as if they had been there for all of eternity. "What… are you doing…?" she fired out at an irregular tempo. "Get back to work!" She staggered away towards the elevator. "Asakura, follow me. We'll settle this like adults."

* * *

"I don't get it. I just don't. Try to help me to understand here. You took the Hippocratic Oath. You're sworn to the well being of your patients—"

"_Primum non nocere_." She felt the muscles in her face stiffen. "Asakura, I am certain you know what this means. 'First, do no harm.' I swore to devote myself to carrying this out with every case, with every patient I treat." She slowly drew her hands back, the soft flesh of her fingers slightly sticking to the top of the table they were sitting at. "Of course, one immediately assumes that this automatically entails caring for a patient to one's best ability. But in this case… if I cure her, if I aid her in her rehabilitation and she is able to reenter society…" She shook her head. "She has, mentally unstable or not, already killed eight people."

"What are you saying…" Yoh asked, his voice deadpan.

"I'm saying that if she ever recovers and goes back to a normal life, she is completely capable of seriously harming another, or several others…perhaps even kill again. I know this is almost impossible considering your situation but think about it. Am I really doing more harm by not treating her? By merely stabilizing her condition? Won't I be doing more damage if I allow her to recuperate? What is more important, one life or several other lives? Why am I given this opportunity to treat a serial killer but had no chance whatsoever at saving those eight victims' lives? Where is the justice?" Jun leaned forward. "There is none, Asakura."

Yoh's hands were paralyzed in a constant grip at the pants of his uniform. "So you're telling me…that if it were _Pailong_ in that situation, you would act the same? If that comatose patient you have been slaving over for the past five years turned out to be a murderer? Would you leave him be, in a suspended state, not quite alive, not quite dead? Or would you treat him like we all know you would?"

"Don't you _dare_…That is _different_," Dr. Tao hissed. "Asakura, you have long been closely associated with my family and I essentially grew up with you and can call you a brother. But you have crossed the line."

"How is it different? How? It's the same. You have always been one to define everything in absolute terms. Everything had to be black or white, right or wrong. No room for gray area. But when this perspective of yours is brought head on with an issue that is extremely personal for you, then that's when everything falls apart for you." Yoh held out his hands in desperation. "_Cura te ipsum_. Dr. Tao, I am certain you know what this means. 'Take care of your own self.'" His face visibly fell, his eyes hooded. "Heal yourself first. Heal your own injuries first before attending to everyone else around you," he reminded her quietly. "Sometimes you forget this, I think."

"I know. I know, Asakura," she whispered back to him. "It's just…this case. It's much more than a simple matter of treating a patient. It's a question of morals. My own morality. It's just not that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I treat her and she goes and harms more people…"

"Then what is it?" he pressed.

The muscles in Jun's face went slack before answering his question with another question. "The evidence against her is damning, is it not?"

He nodded.

"And she is, without question, guilty, according to the police?"

He nodded again. "And when the results from the DNA test come in, she'll be sent directly to…to…" He clenched his teeth, unwilling to complete his sentence.

"She'll be convicted immediately and sent directly to death row," Jun finished for him. "If it were Pailong instead of Anna, I wouldn't want anyone, much less myself, to allow him to recover just so he can be executed. Why would I want him to die twice under my watch?" she asked. "Where is the humanity in that? Healing someone just so that they can die. It's like giving your word to someone that they will have a second chance at life and then breaking that promise when you send them off to get a lethal injection."

Yoh had been cradling his head in his hands. "But…"

"There's no way around it. Her crimes were too gross and flagrant. Do you want that? Do you want her to be taken away from here and locked up in the Tokyo Detention Center? She can wait out the remainder of her days in a prison. God knows what they do to girls like her there…" Yoh flinched at the mention of that. "In fact, she won't even have the same rights as a prisoner. I've heard horror stories of how the inmates there were treated before their executions. Do you want her in solitary confinement? She's already mentally unstable and her physical condition will be further deteriorated by the amount of stress and tension she'll be under there. She'll barely be able to meet with a lawyer and chances are, you'll never be able to see her again thanks to their stringent policies."

"Doctor…"

She reached forward to place her hand on his, her face softening with sympathy. "Yoh, as twisted as this sounds, if I were you, I would pick to keep her here. To keep her in a stable but critical condition. That way you can watch over her, be with her. I know it doesn't sound like much…hell, it probably sounds terrible but to me…just being able to physically be in the same place as Pailong has done wonders." She released his hand. "But of course, that's just me. I don't expect you at all to consider it but I just wanted to illustrate how this truly is a question of humanity and morality." She exhaled. "I'm not completely heartless, you know."

"Truly." Yoh appeared to be lost in thought as he slid his chair out and stood up, prepared to wander off to reflect more. But suddenly his head snapped up and with the little clarity he had left, he stared her in the eye. "Do me a favor and actually get to know her a bit."

"How do—"

He frowned. "Doctor, we all know that you haven't even as much spoken to her at all. Just… please, for me."

* * *

"Ah, hello." Jun greeted her with a curt nod as she awkwardly sat down next to Anna's bed.

The patient kept her half-closed eyes trained on a vase of flowers someone had sent in, not having the willpower, the strength, or the interest to look at the doctor who had just entered.

_I need a different approach. This is for Asakura, I need to at least try. Think, Jun. Literature. Poetry. Yes, I believe that's what Asakura said she studied in college_. Jun quickly swept the room and took in her surroundings before her calculating mind instantly created a solution for her. She took a deep breath before proceeding with what appeared to be a long shot. It would either be the only thing that would work with Anna or it would distance the patient even more from everyone.

"The…tulips," Jun began.

Anna made an indecipherable noise of curiosity and inquiry, bolstering the doctor's uncertain spirits a bit.

"_The tulips are too excitable, it is winter here_," she said more emphatically, sitting up straighter in her chair. "_Look how white everything is, how quiet, how snowed-in_."

Anna was able to tear her gaze from the flowers by her bedside.

"_I am learning peacefulness, lying by myself quietly_," she recited, standing up from the chair slowly, "_As the light lies on these white walls, this bed, these hands_."

She heard a sharp inhalation from her patient.

"_I am nobody; I have nothing to do with explosions_." Jun placed one careful, deliberate foot in front of the other as she found the tempo in her step, the rhythm of the lyric.

She could've sworn that Anna had smiled. Just a bit.

Jun slowed in her pace, her feet dragging a little, her face falling, her tone tinged with sadness. "_I have given my name and my day-clothes up to the nurses_," she said softly, approaching Anna's bed. "_And my history to the anesthetist and my body to surgeons_."

"_I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead_," Anna finished hoarsely.

"So I was correct." Jun smiled triumphantly.

"In what?"

"In my assumption that you were thinking about 'Tulips.' From _Ariel_, of course." Jun shook her hair out of her clip and swiftly redid it all in one fluid motion. "But you already knew that."

"It is my favorite poem of the moment. But how were you able to come to the conclusion I was thinking about it?" Anna coughed violently.

"Ah, upon entering the room I did a quick surveillance. Though you received a wide array of flowers, the most frequently occurring type is the tulip. Furthermore, only the vases with tulips in them are the ones that are on tables near you. The rest have been placed on the floor. From this I was able to surmise that the first six vases of flowers you received were all tulips which is not very likely or you specifically asked Yoh and the other nurses who were around at the time to put the tulips on the table and move the other flowers onto the floor. Therefore, this indicates that you heavily prefer tulips and dare I say it, they are your favorite flower." Jun smiled upon seeing Anna's face, knowing that she was so far completely right in her observation. "And you were staring at them quite intently."

"Yes, but—"

"Yes, I was able to correctly infer that you were in fact thinking about tulips but how was I able to deduce that you were thinking about a specific poem? Lucky guess perhaps? Not so. In my quick sweep of the room, I noticed a stack of books by your bedside. It was a rather thick stack, the amount of books there far exceeding the average number of books a typical patient brings in. So therefore you are not just the average casual reader. Additionally, almost all of your books are hardback, save for a few paperbacks. Almost no one nowadays buys hardback since they are much more expensive, meaning that you either do not care about the monetary cost of your literature or you don't like buying newer editions and reprints of the books. Possibly you do not value newer editions to the same extent you do with the originals. In any case, this lends to my suspicion that you have a different relationship with literature and poetry than the majority of people do."

Anna's mouth was still slightly open in mid sentence.

Jun paused to take a drink of water before continuing her observation. "Finally, the books that are at the top of the stack are _The Colossus and Other Poems_ and_ Crossing the Water_ which are essentials for people like us. On top of those two is _Three Women: A Monologue for Three Voices_ which is a rather difficult collection to locate. And at the very top is _Ariel_. Obviously the most recent books that you have been reading are all poetry collections by Sylvia Plath. The covers and spines look worn, not from age but from numerous, repeated readings. And _Ariel_ is the collection 'Tulips' is in. Lastly, coupled with the knowledge that you are a literature major and that you have memorized numerous passages and poems according to Asakura, I was able to arrive to my conclusion: that you were reciting 'Tulips' in your head. Or at least thinking about it."

Anna's agape mouth twisted into a smirk of amusement. "Well played, doctor. Well played." She cleared her throat and motioned for Jun to give her some water. "What are you, the Chinese, bitchy, presumptuous, female version of Sherlock Holmes?"

"Well, to be fair, Sherlock Holmes is already bitchy and presumptuous so only Chinese and female would be appropriate in this situation," Jun responded wryly, a small smirk gracing her features. "I'm just simply exercising my powers of observation to their fullest extent."

"I do believe that we will get along rather well, doctor. If you do not mind, let _me_ diagnose you now. It is only fair since you were so accurate and…_thorough_ in your own of me." Anna took a few seconds to study Jun, her eyes absorbing every detail of the doctor standing in front of her. "Studies. You obviously went to med school. One of the best in China, judging by your accent and last name and subtly arrogant demeanor…"

"Guilty." Jun smiled as she proudly accepted the veiled insult.

"But then how did you end up in an out of the way branch...Based on your prestigious schooling and no doubt equally prestigious internship and residency, how did you end up in an suburban hospital? You seem more like a downtown Tokyo kind of person… Hmm, well your grimace indicates that something happened in the past. Perhaps you _did_ work in a Tokyo located hospital. One that measured up to your impressive credentials. But then something happened. All the doctors fresh out of med school would want to work in a big city hospital. Funbari opened five years ago, give or take. And with that, new positions needed to be filled so they picked…_you _for some reason," Anna said, weakly and softly, trying to conserve as much energy as possible. She noticed that Jun had tightened her grip around the cup she was holding in front of Anna. "Do not worry, I will not press for details."

"Many thanks."

"Moving on. 'Essentials for people like us.' You are quite the fan of Sylvia Plath. Considering that you were able to perfectly recite 'Tulips' from memory. You…used to love literature and writing. But then you took the route of medicine…am I right?"

Jun nodded slowly, her eyes clenched, as if to ward off the pain. "I used to love it…"

"What happened then?"

"There wasn't any honor in writing or teaching literature, as told to me by my parents. So I chose the hardest path I could possibly think of. My parents didn't want to wait long enough for me to become a neurosurgeon so I ended up as a doctor. But nothing could stop me from secretly enrolling in a few writing and poetry electives back when I was twenty-one years old and invincible." Jun smiled wistfully. "Sylvia Plath was my favorite. When my father discovered my poetry collections he burned all of them and threatened to stop paying for my tuition. Thankfully, _Ariel_ was hidden between my mattress and my bed frame. So I went through the entire collection, memorizing each verse of each poem before I took the book and sold it to a second-hand shop."

"You know all of the poems in _Ariel_ by heart?" Anna murmured skeptically.

Jun nodded. "It was like still having the book, just written in my head." Anna kept silent, disbelief crawling across her face. "What? I was salutatorian of my graduating class in college. Memorizing a bunch of poems was a cinch."

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had defied your parents' orders and studied literature?"

Jun suddenly felt a tidal wave of melancholy and regret come crashing down upon her. "Every day of my life."

"Do you ever feel sorry you didn't?"

Jun's lips gently pressed together and she became aware of her own breathing, quite a rare occurrence nowadays what with all the stress and tension running high in the hospital. "Sometimes when I'm angry at the world, angry at how the people in this world are capable of performing these terrible, insensitive actions, I wish that I was a teacher or a scholar. Alone, peaceful, absorbed in this idealized world of literature and writing. But then that moment passes and I'm back in the hospital again and I hear the patients asking if they're going to live and the families' of terminally ill patients asking if their father or mother or sister or brother or spouse will be okay and then those families are crying, cursing and damning the world and then…that's when I realize that I _need_ to be a doctor. I've grown to love it." Jun looked down accusingly at Anna. "What are you? Some kind of helpful, effective, Japanese, female version of Dr. Phil? Getting me to reflect on my life decisions and all."

"Since Dr. Phil is neither helpful nor effective nor a Japanese female, I suppose your description is entirely appropriate," Anna remarked nonchalantly. "I'm simply a psychology minor."

"Touché." Jun was beginning to like this patient a whole lot. "If that's your entire diagnosis…"

"Far from it." Anna continued. "You have been coughing a lot now. And you have been seen smoking a lot recently. New smoker then. Nicotine purportedly calms the user down and imbues clarity upon the smoker. You started smoking approximately after Yoh found out that I was the perpetrator in the Mount Osore killing spree. You have bags under your eyes, indicating that you haven't slept in a long time. You're still in a party dress that is severely wrinkled so you were on the way to Yoh's party probably when you got the news so then you never went home and stayed at the hospital for the past _week_…Hmm, rather impressive…And you've started to talk to me even though you never have this past month and a half in an effort to get to know me better…"

Anna swallowed as she arrived at her final prognosis. "You are currently in a moral dilemma and have been torturing yourself over it, hence the recent stress-reducing smoking habit and the sleep deprivation, and you have began talking to me to judge whether or not you're going to help me live."

Jun frowned. "I'm…"

"It's true, isn't it? I don't blame you. I mean, you _are_ treating a serial killer right now…"

Jun placed the cup back on the table next to Anna's bed. "What do I do, Anna?" Jun gripped the cloth of her skirt and sighed. "What am I doing? Why am I asking you? I should already know what—"

"I don't know…if I deserve to live," Anna whispered, her words floating up to the ceiling.

Jun's feet that had currently been suspended off the ground since she had been crossing her legs, slammed down in shock, her feet momentarily pulsating in pain after the hard ground struck the bottom of her feet. "_What_?"

"I don't know if I deserve to live. Why am I alive? Why aren't those people that I…I killed so long ago…why aren't they alive? Why do I deserve to live? Aren't they more worthy of life than I am?" Anna demanded. "One of the victims was a father, he worked for the X-LAWS and he was one of the very few employees that truly cared about bettering the welfare of the people in Osorezan. And now so many people whose lives he touched…He's gone and it's all my fault."

Jun was suddenly looming over Anna's bed, pointing a shaking finger at her. "Don't you…don't you _dare_ speak like that."

Anna blinked in surprise, her eyes wide and staring up at the doctor.

"If…if you don't think you deserve to live, how do you, how can _anyone_ expect me to give up on a patient who has given up on themselves?" Jun snapped. "If you think you're worthless, then you are dead to me." She shook her head. "And here I thought, you were stronger than this."

Anna clenched her teeth and she pushed herself up, shocking both herself and Jun that she had enough strength to do that. "What are you talking about? I _am_ strong! Are you calling me weak?" she said, eyes blazing. "I'm…I haven't given up on myself!" she shouted.

Jun smiled and clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Good!"

Anna's eye twitched and she reclined back into bed. "Wait…what just happened?"

"It was nice to have met you today, Miss Kyoyama." Jun took the pen out from her bun and began penciling something in on her clipboard. "I'll come by later again. I'm on duty right now. I'll send Asakura up here to keep you company." She waved happily and exited the room.

As Jun walked through the door, Anna called out after her, "You…were planning that, weren't you? Pretending to be cruel and angry…"

"Of course. I learned that from the best." Jun turned around and winked, pointed her pen at Anna.

"Hmph. Obnoxious dragon-lady," Anna grumbled to herself. But she could barely keep herself from smiling a little.

* * *

Yoh knocked at the door. "Hey, how are you doing?" he asked, clearly exhausted but he was still able to manage a grin when he saw his fiancée was awake.

"I'm fine," she said. Anna motioned for him to sit by her. "Why would I not be?"

He laughed, his voice hoarse and scratchy from the numerous nights he had stayed up at the hospital. "Of course. Always the fighter." He reached forward and swept away a strand of hair from her eyes that had been bugging Anna the entire night.

"I'm surprised you're still willing to even be around me," she said dryly, almost dreading what his response would be. "You're not indebted to me or owe it to me just because of some silly arranged marriage your grandparents set up…"

"Whoa, hey now. I'm here because I _want_ to be. I'm not being forced. And trust me, if I never wanted to see you again, which is not true by the way, I wouldn't be here, right?" He held her hand and squeezed it.

She glared down at his hand but leaned back, resigned to let him slide this time. "Do you think…that it's possible?"

He tore his gaze from the window outside. "Hmm?"

She didn't respond and looked at what she staring at outside their room. Dr. Faust, the primary surgeon at the hospital, was currently hugging and smiling at Eliza, the head nurse.

"Oh. You mean them." Faust drew back from the embrace and stared into his wife's eyes affectionately.

"They look like they are so in love," she observed. "So pure and perfect…"

To Yoh's dismay, he let out a less than graceful bark of laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked, eyebrows drawn together in annoyance that he had ruined the mood.

"Oh boy, if you think that the two of them…their love is all pure and untainted…you don't know them. At all." Yoh drew his lips together and shook his head from side to side a bit as if he were deciding just how much he was going to reveal to Anna. "Faust has done some pretty questionable things in the past just so he could be with Eliza…"

Anna narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Really? You're not making this up?" Faust and Eliza clasped each other's hands as they walked outside together to grab some lunch. "The man looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Looks can be deceiving. Faust is…extremely capable of doing almost anything," he said mysteriously.

Anna pursed her lips, her lower jaw jutting out a bit as she saw Faust happily hold the door open for Eliza. "Uh…huh…I see."

"You don't—"

She rolled her eyes, half-serious, half-quasi-dramatic just to provoke Yoh into telling her. "Oh no, it's not like I don't believe you at all since what you're telling me is _completely_ contrary to the actions of the two. It's not like I would doubt your word even thought I've been observing both Faust and Eliza over the past forty-seven days." She looked up at him, her face extremely stern. "Never."

A veritable storm of emotions was evident all over his face as he struggled whether she was kidding (since Anna never kidded around), then that would leave sarcasm which is her forte, should he tell her of Faust's dark past, but then the insomnia-ridden surgeon might find a better use for those scalpels of his when he found out Yoh told someone about it, and _ughhh_, _what am I supposed to do?_

Anna smirked when she saw how conflicted he was. "Never mind."

"Yes."

"What?"

Yoh scooted his chair forward and put out both his hands to illustrate his point. "I think that it's possible for two people to be together and be truly happy. I think that…well, if any ordinary person saw the pair of them, they'd think that Faust and Eliza were the perfect, happy couple, right? But then you find out later that Faust has committed what is sure to be illegal actions in several different countries (and some territories as well). And Eliza is deeply, psychologically scarred, which is why she talks very, very rarely. And then suddenly, this perfect couple turns out to be severely screwed up." He passed Anna some more water when she tapped his hand. "I don't believe there is such a thing as a perfect couple where everything is all ideal."

"How romantic," Anna grumbled.

"Well, you were never one for the romantic." He smiled down at her.

She pushed down her blanket a little since she could feel her body temperature rising. "I'm surprised you figured that out so fast."

"First week that we met."

"That quick, huh?" She shook her head. "Then what do you believe?"

Yoh paused. "I guess…that every couple has a few skeletons hiding in their closet. That everyone in a relationship fights, gets mad at one another, makes one another upset or even cry sometimes, that there are few nights when the guy has to sleep on the couch—"

Anna had to laugh at that one.

"I suppose that everyone has their issues and that all couples in love are screwed up." He took her hand once again. "Some are just more noticeable than the others. Pure love to me is…still loving the person despite all their faults. You know those loveydovey, sappy I love you's that those high school kids fling around in the first couple of days in their relationship? Before they really know the other person and everything is all sunshine and butterflies and bubbles—"

"Bubbles?"

"Bubbles." Yoh nodded at her in all seriousness. "That isn't pure love. True love is sticking with someone even when all the cards are laid out on the table and find out that _Hey, this relationship thing is going to be a little harder than I thought_."

Anna stared at the two small cloth mountains her feet created as they were sticking up under the blanket. "I think I prefer that more."

"Me too."

"Yoh?" Anna brought her jaws clacking down together and she felt her back teeth grit together. She had no idea how to put this. "Staying with me…I…don't completely…_hate_ the idea…" she managed to eloquently and coherently say.

Yoh smiled, knowing that this was Anna-speak for _Thank you_. "You're welcome."

"I wasn't thanking you," she said snippily.

"Uh…huh…_sure_," he teased.

"Do you _want_ to live to see another day?" she asked somewhat tiredly. She shook her head from side to side, her hair sweeping all over the pillow she was lying down on top of. "I feel disgusting. I haven't gotten a bath in I don't even know how long."

"I…uh…I'll tell Pirika to come in later to…um, give you a bath," Yoh stuttered uncomfortably. "Is there anything I can do in the meantime? To make you feel…less disgusting."

Anna sniffed in amusement at his embarrassment. "Could you comb my hair for me at least?"'

"Sure…Sorry in advance for pulling your hair too hard…I'm not really used to combing…"

"I can see that," Anna said disapprovingly, looking at Yoh's regularly messy locks.

Yoh tried to straighten out his own hair inconspicuously. "I'll be right back. Let me just go and get a brush or something."

* * *

Pirika opened her mouth somewhere between twelve and nineteen times. Lyserg lost track of counting her gapes as he observed her (attempting to) ask Dr. Tao a question.

"So…um…" Pirika fiddled around with the pencil in her hands, twirling it around her fingers absentmindedly.

"Yes?" Both Lyserg and Pirika were surprised to hear that Jun sounded more…_chipper_ than usual (quite a feat in itself. "Chipper" and "Dr. Tao" were two words you never used in the same sentence. Unless you were using it describe what Jun _wasn't_. Or if there were the word "not" emphatically placed, **bolded**, _italicized_, and underlined, between the two. Or if you just wanted to be sarcastic or ironic).

"I know it isn't really any of my business but…I don't know, I've gotten kind of close with Anna—"

"I know, I always hear you talking late at night when I'm passing by the room," Jun said with just the _faintest_ hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Erm…yes, so I was just wondering, really, if…you know, came to a decision about what…you're…going…to do…about….the, uh, situation…" she asked meekly, her voice dropping by ten decibels with every syllable until her speech was nearly incomprehensible.

Jun frowned. "I'm not entirely sure yet. I went in to talk to her today. In fact…" She checked her watch. "I should be going to talk to her again soon."

"It's a rather tough conundrum you're in, doctor," Lyserg remarked sadly. "Such a pity…"

"I dunno. Something sounds _fishy_ the way that everything worked out," Pirika interjected, cupping her chin with her hands thoughtfully.

"Regardless, even by some chance she _didn't_ do it, it doesn't matter. The legal system…justice…" Jun shook her head bitterly. "They are blind."

Pirika at that moment wanted to hug Jun since, well, Pirika was a very huggy person. But alas, Jun was not. She knew that Jun wasn't just talking about Anna anymore (hint: starts with _P_ and ends with an _ailong_).

"Do you think she did it?" Lyserg asked, genuinely curious about the Tao lady's opinion. "Do you think she's even capable?"

To all of their flat out astonishment, Jun said, "No."

"_Really_?" Pirika asked, looking (again) like a fish.

"I don't think so. But…" Jun exhaled sharply in frustration. "I don't know. Hopefully everything—"

"Will work out for the best?" Pirika and Lyserg chimed in enthusiastically.

Jun blinked. "…Yes."

"You're starting to sound like _Asakuraaaaaa_," Pirika teased, drawing the last syllable out playfully.

"Oh, hush. Go do data entry, Usui." Dr. Tao turned on her heel and strutted away.

Lyserg smiled jeeringly at her. "Heh."

"Shut it. I hate data entry."

"Doesn't everyone?" Lyserg asked.

Pirika slowly turned her entire body until she was facing him. "No…_you_ don't."

"Now hold on a…Can't we talk about this…Please just give me a—Agh, somebody help me!"

* * *

"Ouch," Anna muttered under her breath, at this point far too tired to even care anymore.

Yoh winced as if _he_ were the one who was getting his hair yanked and pulled on and sometimes even ripped out. "Sorry." He sighed and placed the brush down on the table. "I'm no good at this, am I?"

"No. You're not."

"_There's_ your ever so charismatic charm the whole hospital's been talking about." He smiled, his features now apparently haggard as he turned on the lamp in the room.

She merely glared at him. "I just feel sorry if one of your future kids is a girl. Then she'll have to go through this torture every day for the first few years of her life as you traumatize her hair follicles and damage her roots. Furthermore, you'll be adding insult to injury by disguising this atrocity by calling it 'combing her hair.'"

He blinked. "Don't you mean '_our_ future kids'?" he asked innocently.

The blood running through Anna's veins froze up a bit and she was thinking of asking him to close the window. "You…don't mean that. No." She shook her head. "That's impossible."

"I mean it." He placed the plastic comb on the table and made a mental note to return it to Pirika later. "Now, you should get some rest."

She was about to protest but sleepiness began to consume her. "Yoh…" she murmured.

"Yes?"

* * *

Jun checked her watch for about the seventh time before she stepped off of the elevator, ignoring Ponchi's attempts at getting her attention.

"Miss Kyoyama—" The doctor stopped in her tracks and was rendered speechless by the sight that greeted her. Kyoyama and Asakura had both fallen asleep, Yoh's arm draped protectively over the frail girl (and Anna's perpetual frown indicated that even while she was slumbering, she still disapproved of anything sappy).

The Tao lady couldn't bring herself to wake the pair of them and opted to exit the ICU quietly.

"Doc!" Ponchi waved at her. "Finally, you look at me. Jeez, you know how much that hurt my feelings earlier?" he grumbled.

"Get on with it already."

The security guard handed her an aged folded piece of paper that was riddled with staples, tape, and what seemed to be news articles. "Yoh said to give this to you when you came up here."

She pressed her lips together and examined the yellowed paper, not quite sure what to make of it. "Er…Thank you…I suppose."

* * *

"That was mighty quick. Did you come to a decision yet?" Pirika asked as she grumpily entered in more data into the computer's spreadsheet.

Jun sighed as she heard the question, her head still bowed over the paper as she began to read. "Not—"

The seconds that passed started turning into minutes. Lyserg looked at Pirika uncertainly while the Ainu girl craned her neck to see if she could read what Jun was perusing so intently. But the angle at which the doctor had positioned the paper made it impossible to see both the contents of the paper and Jun's reaction.

"Well?" Pirika demanded impatiently before realizing Jun could've bitten her head off. She adjusted her tone to adopt a more respectful manner and tried again. "Are you going to leave her be or let her live?"

* * *

"Eliza…said that my vitals are dropping…" Anna told her sleeping fiancée slowly, deliberately, as she momentarily woke up. She shifted her body and moved her pillow aside to trace over the carving she had engraved onto the headboard a few nights ago.

_I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead._

She ran her fingers over the vowels, the ridges of the consonants catching on the delicate soft tissue of her finger pads. Before sleep totally reclaimed her once more, she forcefully pressed her thumb over the last word. As she sunk back into bed and into slumber, her hand fell back beside her unconscious form, one word imprinted into her thumb.

_dead_

_

* * *

_Jun lowered the paper from her face, her face and demeanor visibly shaken and yet somehow twisted in a certain perverted joyfulness.

"Live," she whispered, as if trying to breathe life into the paper, her patient, her case.

_I lift my lids and all is born again._

_

* * *

_

_I want to be with you. Be with you night and day. Nothing changes on New Year's Day. I will be with you again. I will be with you again. I...I will begin again. I...I will begin again._

* * *

**A/N**: yo, so, the poem "Tulips" (in italics throughout the story) and the poetry collections mentioned all belong to Sylvia Plath who is the BOMB. check her out! and lyrics right above this author's note is from U2's "New Year's Day." Huzzah. a thousand pardons plus one for taking **FOREVER** with this chapter. but my muse has come back and I'm on a roll. So this shall be updated regularly once more! and guess what, my muse has come in the form of the **Help Haiti** project going over on **LiveJournal**! Please check out my story entitled "**Help Haiti!**" for details or just even click on the link on my author's page! It's a great cause. and good luck to all those who are taking final exams! :)

I always wanted to write about the morality/doctor's moral decision in treating a murderer. And what the eff is up with the paper Jun read? Now let me tell you, that piece of paper is going to make _Critical Condition_ significantly longer than I had originally planned. Hope you guys don't mind eheh.

**PLEASE REVIEW**! it would mean the world to me twice over...and then some. I worked super hard on this chapter so it'd be great to hear some feedback. happy days to you all :)

ps this chapter officially makes _Critical Condition_ my longest story on FFnet so far. Yay for me! (pops bottle of champagne that I'm too young to drink).

pps fan art offer-ers, seriously, don't even stress if you're too busy or whatnot to start drawing, etc. I'm already extremely flattered that you offered :)

ppps fun fact: _Carol of the Bells _and _White Christmas_ were **never planned**. I came up with the titles in less than a minute, sat down for half an hour each and just typed. the stories wrote themselves.


	12. Isolation

a quick note: Thus starts part two of _Critical Condition!_ Enjoy!

Dedicated to: all my dedicated readers who have made this possible. You are all lovely people who have never given up on this story or on me. thank you.

* * *

**12. Isolation**

"Checking condition." Jun tore her gaze from the body splayed out on the operating table in front of her just quick enough to evaluate the statistics dancing on the monitor in front of her. Everyone in the observing room above her held their breath as she took a few moments to analyze the vitals of the patient. They saw her sigh and exit the operating room, climbing back up the stairs to where they were.

Jun stripped her gloves off and smiled wearily. "Condition stabilized." The entire room burst into applause as the nurses left in the operating site wheeled Anna away so that she could recuperate from her procedure.

"Eh? Did I miss anything?" Pirika asked as she joined nearly the entire staff of the hospital in the observatory deck.

"Yeah, just Dr. Tao stabilizing the hardest case Funbari has ever had," Macchi informed her, rolling her eyes.

"_What?!_ I missed that?" Pirika cried, throwing her hands up (which inadvertently sent the coffee she had gotten and that had made her miss the operation flying into the air).

"That one better not have been mine." Pirika turned around to see a very deadened Jun looking back at her. The doctor looked as if she were about to collapse.

"Ah, no it's not. It was mine. Here." She handed Jun the coffee in her other hand. "So how was it?"

"Tiring," she sighed. "Kyoyama was long overdue. She was on the respiratory machine for nearly an entire month." She sipped the beverage. "At least it's over with. And where did you get this coffee, it tastes like trash."

"Lyserg brewed it," Pirika said immediately, pointing at the unsuspecting nurse. "Anyways, how are you holding up?"

"Fine but exhausted." She shrugged.

Pirika frowned. "No, I mean, well…today's…you know." She gestured helplessly as if to imply that Jun should know what she was talking about.

"What?" The doctor glared at Pirika who was on the verge of giving her a headache.

"I…Never mind," she said quickly. "I suppose that…yes, I'll be going now." Pirika excused herself and rushed away to distribute the coffee to the rest of the staff.

"Strange, she's the third person today to act like that." Jun shook her head and drank the rest of the cup before discarding it.

"Hey, doc!" Yoh waved at her.

"Hello, Asakura. Do you have any appointments for me to attend to today?"

"Er, I don't think so." Yoh paused for a moment. "Nope, there aren't any else I think."

"Good, good." They both stood in silence until Yoh spoke again.

"Thank you, Dr. Tao." Yoh bowed his head, overcome by the sheer gratitude for the act she had just performed. "Thank you…so much."

Jun shifted her weight from one foot to another and smoothed out her smock, clearly embarrassed and unaccustomed to such open displays of emotion. "It…it was no problem. It was my job. That was all. It was a community effort. I couldn't have done it without the staff and Faust did a lot during the operation as well—"

Yoh smiled and shook his head. "My God, you're actually not keen on taking all the credit you can for an operation. Come on now, we both know it was more than that," he teased, causing Jun to press her lips together firmly. "But in all seriousness…You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I think I might have a vague idea…" she said softly, her eyes drifting to the door that led to the ICU that Pailong had inhabited for five years.

Yoh touched her shoulder understandingly. "Oh yeah, how are you holding up?"

She blinked. "I'm…fine. Why?"

"Well…" He motioned towards the door.

"He's been gone for nearly two months. I've isolated myself from any memories that might trigger another…emotional crisis," she said curtly.

"But…I mean…today is…" Yoh's voice became jumbled.

She drew her eyebrows together. "Why does everyone keep saying that? What is today?"

Yoh's hands fell to his sides. "You…don't know?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I don't, Asakura, and if you don't tell me what is going on, you'll find yourself out on the streets and without a job before you can even blink," she snapped, irritated and frustrated and beginning to feel the fatigue from the operation as it began to sink in.

"Wow…" He scratched the back of his head as if he hadn't heard her threat. "I can't believe you didn't know about this…"

"Did you hear what I just said? Ugh, never mind," she groaned, beginning to walk away.

"Pailong's death sentence is being carried out," he called after her.

The entire room, though still a bit noisy as nurses and doctors were still milling around, talking about the operation, seemed to fall into a dead silence. Jun felt as if she were inside a fishbowl, her last couple of steps echoing hollowly as if her head were in another room outside. Her feet felt as heavy as lead as she froze in her tracks, unable to even turn around. "Wh-What? What are you…what are you saying?"

"Marco and Nichrom finally got approval from the regional board." Yoh hesitated, seeing the stricken look of pure, unadulterated grief on her face.

"They're pulling the plug on him today."

* * *

"Someone's late today," Horohoro said, not even bothering to look up from the paper he was reading.

Tamao drew her eyebrows together and lowered her shoulders she had hunched up and stood up straight, giving up her effort to sneak in sneakily through the back door. She sighed and dumped her raincoat and purse on the front desk. "Why so punctual?" she asked. "Every time I come in, you're already here."

He kicked his legs up, only to have Tamao to push them down, lest he dirty the immaculately clean counter she kept every single day. "I dunno…I guess I feel most at home here."

"Really?" She sat down and booted up her own computer and telephone. "That's…odd….I suppose."

He frowned. "How is it odd?"

"You feel at home at a place where nearly everyone doesn't have a home."

"I guess I just identify with them," he shrugged.

"How so?"

"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" he said in mock outrage.

She jumped a bit. "Er…s-sorry, if you don't want to talk about…I—"

He laughed, punching her lightly on the shoulder. "I was just kidding, Tamamura, lighten up." He leaned back in his chair. "I suppose I always felt out of place in Tokyo. Too much big city, bright lights for me. Ever since I moved here, it feels like…I don't' know, like there's this huge invisible timer counting down somewhere and I can never get that time I don't even know I'm losing back."

She nodded slightly, repeatedly for a while and the two settled into silence. Horohoro was surprised when he heard her voice again. "You…don't have to answer if you don't want to but…" She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Why did you move back to Tokyo then?"

"Hunh…"

She widened her eyes and waved her hands at him. "Y-You don't have to answer at all! No pressure—"

"You know, no one has ever asked me that before. I…wanted to get away from my father."

Tamao's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You…_wanted_…to get away from…your father." She bit her lip. "You _wanted_ to get away from your father." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Why would you ever _want_ something like that?"

"He was out of control!" Horohoro replied defensively. "He was an alcoholic, addicted to gambling—"

"When was the last time you talked to him?" she demanded. The two hesitated in surprise at the sudden anger with which she had asked the question.

"Years…ago…" he said slowly.

She shook her head in disbelief. "When was the last time you checked up on him by yourself?"

"I don't…remember…It was too long ago," Horohoro answered through clenched teeth.

"Don't you…don't you know how many of the kids here would…would _kill_ to be with their families? Even if they were dysfunctional? And here you are, consciously distancing yourself from your father…no, _wanting_ to distance yourself from him. How could…how could anyone possibly _want_ that?" she said, close to tears.

"You're one to talk! You're judging me and you don't even know why I left him and haven't even so much as looked back," he fired back at her.

"Still, it's…it's your duty as part of his _family_ to care about him."

"_How can I be responsible for someone who doesn't even want to recognize me as his own son?_"

The lack of noise that followed his last question was deafening.

"Wh-What?" Tamao asked, so shocked that her tears went away.

"Fine. There, you have your answer. I moved back down to Tokyo because he disowned me." He banged his fist on the counter and stood up. "Happy?" He wrenched the door open. "I don't need this."

"Tamao?"

She hurriedly wiped her face and turned around. "Chocolove! What…what are you doing here?"

"I heard shouting. Is everything okay?" He warily eyed the still-swinging door that Horohoro had gone through mere moments before.

"Yes…everything is fine…" Tamao looked away, unable to lie directly to his face. "Nothing is…Chocolove?" Her mouth opened in fear as she saw that he was gone. "Chocolove!" She ran towards the door only to see the boy angrily approach Horohoro and turn him around. She shrunk behind the door, not knowing what to do.

"What have I done?"

* * *

"_You're such an idiot!" Glass flew towards his face. "You useless—" Horohoro couldn't feel his legs anymore when the collar of his shirt was yanked up, carrying him off of the floor he had been lying down on._

"_Ow…" His head throbbed._

"'_Ow?' I'll show you something that's actually painful." His face was met with hot breath and the stench of alcohol._

"_Dad! What are you doing?" Horohoro forced his eyes open to see that Pirika had rushed into the kitchen, the groceries she had bought earlier toppling from her arms._

"_This…this brother of yours…tell her what you did, you useless…piece…of…shit…"_

"_I…didn't get it…" he murmured._

"_Get what? What the heck are you talking about?" she demanded, beginning to approach the two._

"_No…stay back…" Horohoro groaned. "I didn't get the job…"_

"_And you're…you're beating him up because of that?" she shouted. "Stop it! Don't you see…it's _this_ that's doing the talking! It's taken over you, stop it. Just _stop it!" _She held up the glass bottle that their father had hit her brother over the head with._

_Horohoro felt something warm run down from his forehead to the side of his face. Through his father's loosened grip, he was able to touch whatever it was. "Blood…"_

"_And you know what, he would actually be able to get a job, _any_ job if it weren't for the fact that your reputation is pure shit! Of _course_, no one would want to hire the son of the region's number one violent drunk!"_

"_Shut up," he snarled. "Shut the hell up. Don't talk about things that you don't know anything about."_

"_I…I know more than you ever will yourself! I know that _you're_ the reason why mom left. It was you, you, you, _you!_" She had began crying, talking through her tears. Horohoro could feel her shaking their dad's arm in an effort to free her brother from his grasp._

_He wanted to yell at her to stop before their father turned on her as well. Horohoro had always gotten the brunt of the beatings, both father and son knowing that it would be unforgivable if he ever laid a hand on Pirika. But then he knew that she wouldn't let go until their father stopped._

_If Horohoro only learned one thing from his childhood, it would be that their father never, _ever_ stopped._

_He was suddenly dropped onto the floor and he heard a crash that could only indicate one thing._

_Time seemed to stop as they all sat in stunned silence._

"_I can't believe you," Horohoro growled as he pushed himself up onto his feet. "I can't believe you would—"_

"_I don't know what happened. She wouldn't stop…" His father's face was a mix of utter shock and self-righteousness. "She wouldn't stop."_

"_Stop making excuses," he bellowed as he lunged forward. "You hit Pirika. You hit your own _daughter_ when you know she could never hope to fight back against you. You disgusting monster—"_

"_Shut your damn mouth." He swung around, his fist clipping the boy squarely in the stomach._

_As Horohoro began blacking out, he saw a huge fist about to meet his face._

* * *

"Don't hit me!" He sat straight up, throwing his hands up in self-defense.

"So you're finally awake."

"Eh? Chocolove?" Horohoro blinked in confusion at the boy from the orphanage. "Um…what are you doing here? And…why are we in…the park?" He looked around, dazed and confused.

"You're disoriented. That's only to be expected." The boy sighed and handed him a water bottle. "Here, drink this. You put up quite a fight when I disarmed you."

Horohoro stopped mid-twist in his opening of the beverage. "You…_what_."

"Disarm…you know. I rendered you unconscious without your knowledge after you left the orphanage."

"I _know_ what it means! I'm not completely stupid," he snapped. "But why the hell would you _disarm_ me? Me of all people!"

"That's exactly why." Chocolove shook his head. "_You_ made Tamao cry."

"_That's_ it? I was going to apologize later, you know," he mumbled, suddenly remembering what had transpired before he had blacked out.

"Also, it was a long time coming."

"Argh, can you stop speaking in such vague terms? You're making my head hurt. Get to the point already." Horohoro clutched at his head which had begun to throb.

"You blew up at Tamao. Overreacted really. It wasn't just because she was judging you or whatnot. This has been going on for a long time. Your little disagreement with her just acted as a catalyst for a process that needed to have been addressed a long, long time ago." He finished opening the water bottle for his companion. "In other words, it's time for you to stop running away from your past and confront it."

"Easy for you to say…" he grumbled.

"I heard that you moved from Tokyo because your father disowned you."

"Eavesdropper. And I don't want to tell you why." He crossed his arms defiantly.

"I wasn't going to ask you why. I already know why." Chocolove waved his hand dismissively at him.

"Oh? You do, do you?" he asked skeptically. "Well, Mr. I've-Got-Everything-Figured-Out-Cuz-I'm-Omniscient-And-Shit, tell me why my father disowned me then."

"Because you are him and he is you."

Horohoro could only stare at him, gaping at the casual looking boy next to him on the park bench. "What…the…heck…are…you…smoking…I told you to speak plainly!"

Chocolove sighed. "This one is probably going to be my hardest case yet. But what can you do, the most dimwitted ones learn the slowest."

"Hey! What's _that_ supposed to—"

And then Chocolove's hand flew to one of Horohoro's pressure points on the back of his neck and proceeded to knock the boy out once again.

* * *

"_Don't worry, almost there," Pirika said reassuringly as she lugged her brother's body to a room on the other side of the house. Every few seconds, she would stop moving and listen intently to see if their father had awaken yet, Horohoro's labored breathing the only other sound audible in the entire first floor. So far, it seemed that her dad was still unconscious, the alcohol finally having caught up to him._

_She spread his body out over the mat in her room and got a few wet cloths to tend to whatever damage Horohoro had sustained._

"_God, that feels good," he sighed as she began to wipe away the blood stains on his arms. "You know, you really should be a nurse."_

_Pirika appeared to think about it. "I'll get some ice for your bruises later," she stated mechanically. She had grown so accustomed to her brother getting injured and beaten over the years that tending to his wounds barely affected her anymore. She winced as she pushed his hair back. "Oooh, that's going to leave a mark."_

_His hand quickly attended to the gash on his forehead, his fingers running along the jagged crevasse of traumatized flesh there. "Shit." He let his hand drop back down to his side, letting the blood leave runny marks down his cheek. "Do you think it'll…"_

"_Yup, it's definitely going to leave a scar." She rocked back and forth on her heels as she was hunched over him. "Hmm…" She tapped her finger against her lips in thought, a habit she had picked up from her brother. "Oh! I know!" She turned around and went through her closet before presenting a strip of cloth to him. "Here, take this."_

_He grabbed it from her and pressed it against his wound to stop the bleeding. "Thanks."_

_She squawked in protest and ripped it from his hands. "No! Silly, I meant for when your gash heals and it leaves a scar. You can wear it over your forehead." She demonstrated, wrapping the cloth around her own head. "Like this!" She handed it back to him._

_He stared at it. "Why would I want to wear the sash of your ceremonial robe over my head? Isn't it—"_

_She sighed. "Yeah, it's going to get dirty. But it's okay, you're my brother. You're more important than any silly ceremonial robe." She patted him affectionately on the shoulder._

"_I was actually going say, isn't this part of a _girl's_ outfit?"_ _She stopped mid-pat and poked him roughly on one of his bruises. "Jeez, sorry, sorry!"_

"_And here I am, trying to be kind and heartfelt…"_

_He folded the cloth-turned-bandanna and put it in his pocket. "Thanks though. It means a lot to me, Pirika." He smiled up at her. "So…uh…when are you going to take out the glass from the cut?"_

_She gave a start. "Oh, shoot! Sorry, I totally forgot!" She hurried to get a pair of tweezers from her desk. "God, I'm so absent-minded. That would be bad if I didn't get the glass out, huh?"_

"_You're telling me—Goddamn, ouch!" He ground the heel of his foot into the mat he was lying down on to try to dull the pain. "Crap, shit, damnit, fuck—"_

"_Horohoro! Cut down on the language, will you?" she snapped as she extracted her sixth piece of glass from his forehead._

"_Are. You. Done. Yet." He asked through clenched teeth. His entire body went rigid and his back arched as she took out a particularly deeply wedged shard. "I guess I'll take that as a no…"_

"_Phew, looks like I got just about all…of…them…" Pirika's voice trailed off. "Uh…oh."_

_A few seconds passed before Horohoro realized Pirika wasn't moving. "Hey, no, why did you say 'Uh oh.' 'Uh oh' is bad. Very bad. What's happening?"_

"_Erm, Horo…I don't think I can remove this one." She tapped the side of his head._

"_What do you mean you can't? Of course you can! You can do anything! You have to try, come on, you haven't even tried yet—"_

_She shook her head. "I don't think I can. It hit you square in the temple. I might…make things worse for your wound if I take it out."_

"_No, you _have_ to try. Pirika, please, you _need_ to take it out," he pleaded._

"_Horo, I said no. I might cause profuse bleeding if I take it out, so much that it might cause severe blood loss. And it's perfectly fine, the skin can heal around it and it'll be harmless as long as I sterilize the gash before putting some gauze over it…"_

"_No, you have to take it out. You have to. Please, I'm begging you—"_

"_Didn't you listen to what I just said? And why are you so intent on me taking it out? It'll be harmless…whoa, what's…what's wrong?" She had finally looked down to see his face, only to be greeted by a countenance of sheer desperation and fear. "Horo, are you okay? What's the matter?"_

"_You don't understand…you need…to take it…out…" he said, his voice shaking._

_She stroked his hair. "Shh, tell me what's wrong," she said soothingly, trying to calm him down._

_He shook his head and refused to answer, shutting his eyes._

"_Horo, big brother, you need to tell me or else you're going to exacerbate the bleeding with your stress," she said gently._

"_I…don't want a part of him…in me…"_

_She nodded slowly and kept stroking his hair. "You don't want your worst memories of him embedded in you which you feel will happen if we leave the shard of his beer bottle in your gash." She squeezed his hand. "You have to be strong and remember that the glass is just glass, it's not a symbol of him or his alcoholism."_

_He grit his teeth together so much that his body began shaking again and Pirika saw tears threatening to spill from his eyes. She felt ashamed that she saw him this vulnerable when she knew that he never wanted anyone to see him like this. "Why…why does he have so much hatred for his own flesh and blood…So much…"_

"_You know, the only reason he hates you so much is because…" She swallowed dryly before continuing. "Because you remind him so much of himself."_

"_Don't say that, don't say that, please, don't ever say that. When you say that, it becomes true," he whispered over and over again frantically as if it were a mantra to ward off his inevitable fate. "No, take it back, please, take it back."_

_She felt her heart almost breaking as she heard his words. "But it's true. He hates you because you remind him of himself when he was younger…your drive, your passion, your ambition…he hates all of it, especially your ambition."_

"_Why, why…why…" he moaned as if her words were physically hurting him even more than the abuse he had endured earlier._

"_It's because although he has just as much ambition and just as many aspirations, the thing he hates you for is that you have the opportunities and capabilities of achieving all of your dreams…and more while he doesn't." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "He's terrified, he's scared that you will become more than he ever was, more than he ever is, and more than he ever will be."_

"_That can't be the only reason."_

_She smiled sadly. "For the longest time, I thought it was the only reason. But sometimes, when I see his face when he's getting angry at you, I see this…this look of…of _recognition_ almost. I don't know how to explain it but…I think he recognizes himself in you in a different way. He doesn't want you making the same mistake he did when he was your age."_

"_What mistake would that be?"_

"_Throwing your life away over love that was lost long ago."_

_She let her words sink in before continuing, "Every time you think of Damuko or she is brought up, you should see the world of hurt it brings you. That's why he calls you weak, because he was and is the exact same way. The love in mom and dad's marriage was over years and years ago. But still, he insisted on keeping her trapped, trying to force her to love him again to the point that he became obsessed with it. That it consumed his life. Look at him now, do you call what he is doing living? He doesn't want you to end up like him, whether he is doing that consciously or not."_

_Her voice began to grow fainter and the lights dimmer as he began to slip away into exhausted sleep._

"_Show him that you've won. Show everyone that you have and that you are better than him. Don't let it consume you. Don't become him."_

_

* * *

_"Do you understand now?" Chocolove asked Horohoro as he awakened. "Do you see?"

"I…I think I do."

"Good, we'll be meeting every week to talk about it."

Before Horohoro could turn around to ask Chocolove who he thought he was, his personal therapist, the boy was gone.

* * *

"And here's yours, Eliza," Pirika said cheerfully as she handed the head nurse her coffee. "And could you give this one to Faust?"

"You've been rather nice lately," Lyserg observed, who, as always, was happily doing data entry. "Doing coffee runs just because."

"Well, with tensions and stress running high, I thought I could do my part and try to keep everyone a least a little bit sane. And it appears that it's working. One mocha, soymilk, no whip, extra three shots, and vanilla syrup with cinnamon…" She handed Lyserg a paper cup. "How girly of you."

Lyserg batted his eyelashes mockingly at her. "Har, har. Like I haven't heard that one before." He held up his fingers as if he were clasping an invisible pencil between them. "Minus fifty points for lack of originality."

"Oh, ziiiiing," Pirika said laughingly as she clutched at her hurt as if she had been shot. "That one hurts. And one hot chocolate and tea cake for Jeanne. I can't believe that she hasn't given into the siren song of caffeine and the beautiful temptation of espresso yet." She pushed a paper tray towards her fellow nurse. "Give that to her later, will you? Her shift should be starting soon. Thanks a bunch."

"She will soon enough. She's headed to college this fall…Yale of all places too." Lyserg couldn't keep from smiling at his computer screen.

Pirika clapped her hands together and jumped up and down. "Wait! This is news to me! So she's going to Yale for sure now? I'm so happy for her," she said, nearly singing. "Hmm, why do you keep smiling at the computer?" She seized the monitor by its sides and swiveled it around. "Ah, ah, ah, no personal email should be open while doing the devil's mistress's work, otherwise known as data entry." However, she began smiling too when she saw what was on the screen. "How cute! Is that the campus of the school? She looks so happy." Pirika studied the picture that Jeanne had emailed him. The girl was captured, mid-wave, in the middle of the green, sun-lit Connecticut campus.

Lyserg nodded, still grinning, "Yeah, this one was from her last visit before binding herself there. I mean, she was accepted at Princeton and Dartmouth as well but I don't think anything or anyone could make her as happy as Yale University does."

Pirika smiled smugly. "Oh, _I_ can think of someone who does."

Lyserg reddened. "Shut it, Usui." But he couldn't mask the immense joy that that thought brought him.

"Hmm, she'll be arriving here in a few minutes but yet you miss her so much that you have to pull up a picture of—"

"Jeanne!" Lyserg ignored whatever Pirika was saying and waved around her. "You can go now. Shoo."

"Oh my! How offensive. And after I brought you your mocha, soymilk, no whip, extra three shots, and vanilla syrup with cinnamon too! Maybe I'll conveniently forget your order tomorrow morning," Pirika said snootily while hopping off of the counter she had been perched on the entire time and began to walk away. "But I suppose it will be best to leave those two alone," she said, genuinely happy for them. "You know, who I haven't seen for a while?" she asked herself out loud. "Tao Ren." When she said his name as she rounded the corner, she fully expected to bump into the serious young man. She braced herself for impact, which is how they always met. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a virtually empty hallway. "Strange."

"Looking for someone, Usui?" came an extremely bored sounding voice.

She jumped and turned around and promptly smacked Ren on the shoulder. "You _scared_ me!" she accused angrily and somewhat shakily.

"What was that for? Ah, never mind." He shook his head.

"Why is it that we always bump into each other like this? It's kind of weird, especially because I was just thinking about you…" Pirika pressed her lips together tightly as she realized what she had just said had many different interpretations. Judging from the look on Ren's face and his overall personality, he would interpret it very, very inaccurately.

"So you can't keep me off your mind, what's new?" he asked, smirking.

"You. Are. Impossible." She turned on her heel and prepared to strut off rather dignified.

"Thank you."

Pirika tripped over her feet in a rather _un_dignified manner. "Come again?"

He sighed irritably. "I said thank you, don't make me repeat it please. It's rather difficult for me to summon the adequate amount of humility to say that to you." However, he smiled a bit sincerely to let her know that he was joking.

"And why is the Great and Almighty Tao Ren in all capital letters thanking the lowly and merely human Usui Pirika in all lower case letters?"

He opted to ignore her last jab. "Jeanne and I decided…to not get married…so…thank you for that." He swung his arms behind him uncomfortably.

"Whoa, whoa now. Why are you thanking me?" she asked suspiciously, hoping that he wasn't going to say what she thought he would.

"Because…well, I thought over what you had to say and Jeanne thought over what that Diethel boy said to her and…you two…really helped us…a…lot…" Ren's statement was said through gritted teeth by the end of it.

"Noooo…I…didn't have anything to do with it," Pirika said desperately, trying to wash her hands of it belatedly. But she knew it was too late. "Damnit, Ren! Why are you doing this to me?"

He blinked, not expecting _this_ reaction from her. "What are you talking about? You're the one who keeps going off how I should be more humble and thank people for what they've done for me. And now that I'm doing it, you're getting angry!" He drew his eyebrows together in irritation. "Stop sending mixed signals, Usui," he growled.

"Oh, congrats, good job, yada, yada. That's all well and good. _For any other situation_. I don't want to get blamed by Marco and the X-LAWS and your parents and any other person or enterprise that had been riding on your future marriage." She shook her head and held up her hands in innocence. "So please don't try to make me a part of it."

Ren shrugged. "No matter how much you try to distance yourself from what you've done, it still doesn't change the fact that you're part of it."

Pirika's eyes widened. "Will you…excuse me for a moment?" she squeaked. She turned around and power walked away from him and back to the main corridor where Lyserg, Jeanne and most of the other nurses worked.

"Jeez, Pirika, what have you gotten yourself into. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she muttered, smacking herself on the forehead repeatedly. "You try to help someone and look what happens, they go and thank you!" She frowned. "No, that's not what I meant. I don't want to be a part of this." She shook her head. "I need some water or something. I can't think straight."

She sighed with relief as she saw a nearby water cooler and ran to it as if her very existence depended on it. "That's better." The nurse exhaled and paused to gather her thoughts. "What to do, what to do…"

"Excuse me."

"Hmm?" Pirika whipped around. "Oh…hello." The woman who had gotten her attention smiled. _Huh, she's really beautiful_.

"Would you happen to be Usui Pirika?" the woman asked sweetly, sweeping her long jet black hair behind her. She pursed her perfectly painted lips as she waited for Pirika to snap out of her stupor and respond.

"Oh…ah, sorry, my head is kind of off today…Yes, I am Usui Pirika. Do you need help?" she said, cursing her overloaded mind.

"Yes." The woman nodded solemnly.

"What can I do for you today?"

Suddenly the woman seized Pirika by the back of the neck and yanked her close, her lips mere centimeters away from Pirika's ear. "Stay the _hell_ away from my son or I will ruin you."

Pirika tried pulling away but the woman's grip was like iron. "What are you—"

The woman shoved her roughly back against the wall, the noise of Pirika's body upon impact beginning to draw attention to the pair of them. "Oh please, you know what I'm talking about. Unless…" The lady pressed the palm of her hand against her cheek fretfully and sighed. "I suppose what they say is true, commoners really are mentally inferior."

Pirika saw red and her blood began to boil. "What the _hell_ are you blabbering about? And I don't know who your son is nor do I _want_ to know him."

The woman patted Pirika's face degradingly as if she were upbraiding an impetuous child. "Oh, dear, you _do_ know him. Tao Ren ring a bell?"

Pirika froze. "Y-You're Ren's mother?" _No wonder where he gets his winning personality from._

"Yes. I. Am. Ren's. Mother. Do you need me to repeat that? I know those of the lower classes aren't so quick on the uptake all the time."

Pirika bit down on her tongue until it drew blood in an effort to keep herself from screaming as she realized that the woman was therefore also Jun's mother as well. "No, I think I got that the first time," she growled through clenched teeth.

"My, what crude manners. Did your mother not teach you how a lady should act? Judging from your…sub-decent standards of dress and presentation and your crass manner of speech, I would daresay that you didn't even have a mother if I didn't know any better," Ren's mother laughed mockingly. "Perhaps she left because she couldn't handle such an unladylike child. I wouldn't blame her," she sneered.

"Shut the _hell_ up. No one talks about my mother like that!" Pirika yelled, praying that she wouldn't begin tearing up as well. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that the entire floor was watching their exchange but there wasn't anything she could possibly do.

The woman yawned. "This is getting rather boring. I will state what I expect you to do from now on." She placed her hand on Pirika's shoulder, a seemingly harmless gesture until her nails began to sink into the skin. "Stay away from my son. It seems that you have somehow…_changed his mind_ to think that he doesn't want to wed Jeanne D'Fer. He and Jeanne will marry and there is nothing you can do about it. Nothing, you understand? You will keep your disgusting little nose out of business that does not concern you. Do not speak to him. It is not even like you are worthy of speaking to someone who is of such higher status than you. Isolate yourself from him." The woman sighed yet again. "My goodness, what is happening to this generation. See, this is why women should just stay at home and learn their place. Back in my time, I would never even dream of meddling in other people's affairs. Getting a job seems to have gone to the modern girl's head. Not that being a nurse is anything to be proud of. If I were in your place, I would never tell anyone that I was a nurse, lest I embarrass myself. What a lowly occupation…"

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Oh, seems that I got off track." She pressed her hand against Pirika's cheek. "Hopefully we can cooperate on this." She pushed the girl's face aside painfully and strode away. Pirika's eyes were filled with humiliated tears and she could feel the stares of everyone on her as she walked as dignified as she could away with whatever little pride was left in her.

* * *

_Anna was running down a pathway that was seemingly endless. She found just a bit strange considering that her legs had been out of commission for several months now. She had been chasing an orange striped cat down the road but she never seemed to change in her position, the cat always was the exact same distance from her. But yet, she kept pursuing the animal. _

_Suddenly she tripped and fell down a hole. However, she wasn't scared. She knew that this was what she was supposed to be doing and she kept falling down the infinitely deep hole, tranquil and calm as could be. Once in a while she would get a little bit bored so she would grab a book that was passing by her. She passed by a lot of books, she thought to herself. All the books were photographs of her but her face was ripped out from each one. She would get bored with that and throw the books away._

_Before she knew it, she had tumbled out onto the floor and landed before a great big door._

STATE YOUR NAME.

_Anna blinked. The large booming voice kept echoing around her. "Kyoyama Anna."_

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS.

"_To find out the truth." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying._

KYOYAMA ANNA, YOU HAVE ASKED FOR THE TRUTH AND NOW YOU SHALL RECEIVE IT.

_A flash of orange appeared in a burst of smoke._

_She frowned. "That stupid cat I was chasing earlier!"_

"_Watch who you're calling stupid. Don't you want the truth?" the cat asked suspended above her, rather offended._

_She nodded._

"_Good." The cat pulled out a pair of spectacles from his robe and a file. "Kyoyama Anna, you said? Let's see…" He rifled through a few papers in the file. "Ah, here we go. Kyoyama Anna. Blood type: A. Birthplace: Mount Osore. Birth date: Unknown. Vitality status: deceased. Age: Fifteen—"_

"_Wait, that's not right. I'm twenty-one right now and I'm still living," she contested vehemently. "I'm still here. I'm still here? I am, aren't I?"_

"_I don't know, you tell me," the cat replied in a dead even voice._

_She opened her mouth and raised her hand to ask what he meant but before she could get the question out, she realized that she could see right through her palm. "Oh…dear…this isn't good."_

"_Indeed. The disappearance of body parts is usually not good," the cat laughed. "So perhaps that isn't the file you were looking for. Let me check if…hmm, if my memory serves me right…" He pulled out another folder and proceeded to extract another piece of paper from it. "Let's try again, shall we? Kyoyama Anna. Blood type: A. Birthplace: Germany. Birth date: Unknown. Vitality status: living. Age: Thirty-two. You were trained in the national army when you were in your twenties—"_

"_That's not correct either!" she protested. _

"_My goodness, girl, get your identities straightened out!" the cat chastised her._

Identities? _Anna thought to herself. _Don't people usually only have one?

"_I have one more folder that is your last identity. If you claim that it isn't you either, then there is nothing else I can do for you now, you understand?" the feline inquired rather sternly._

_She nodded._

"_Once more, hmm?" The cat pulled out the last of his files and cleared his throat. Kyoyama Anna. Blood type: Unknown. Birthplace: Hell. Birth date: Unknown. Vitality status: Unknown. Age: Eternal and nonexistent. You are betwixt and between and of demon lineage. You were born not only bearing but also embodying the very essence of evil in this world and thus have been banished to the sixth circle of Hell where you live out the remainder of your days with lashes on your back—"_

"_That isn't me! Where are you getting all this information?" she demanded._

_The cat studied her skeptically from behind his spectacles. "Your files say so! And if the files say so, then that _must_ mean it is the correct information." He stroked his chin. "I'm beginning to think that you're not Kyoyama Anna after all…who are you, impostor?"_

"_What the hell are you talking about? Of course I am Kyoyama Anna! Who else would I be?" she snapped angrily, half-incensed at the ridiculousness of his statements, half-afraid that he was correct._

"_I don't know, you tell me." A mirror appeared in the cat paws. "Why don't you see for yourself?" He held the mirror in front of her face and all her muscles froze, leaving her eyes the only moving part of her body._

_She could only observe as images flashed by, going increasingly faster and faster until it formed a blur, faces of people she knew—Pirika, Lyserg, Redseb, Seyram, Ren, Jun, every villager from Osorezan, Tamao—into one huge endless cycle of lucid memories until it slowed and stopped on one singular reflection. _

_She couldn't scream as her reflection showed her to be a rotting face of a teenage girl, the usually glowing complexion of adolescence dulled and mottled by blackened dried blood and worms that had buried for years underneath the flesh stretched loosely over her skull—her skull, that complex puzzle box of cracked and yellowed marrow and calcium, her skull that one could see through that thin, otherworldly veil of skin. Her mouth quivered both on her own face and on the terrible rictus of the morbid, decaying girl. "What have I done? What have you done?" they both whispered in perfect time. As she blinked, it blinked in the mirror._

_Before the image totally corrupted the little sanity she had left, her reflection shuddered and changed until the picture in the mirror was completely different. Instead, she became a huge hulking figure, long blond hair still flowing down her back, framing her face. But the features of the visage_ _were cold and harsh and shaped by something more than the frigid weather of Mount Osore. The eyes were shaded so that it concealed the full identity of the person in the mirror—her reflection, herself. As the lips of the reflection began to move, her own began to form the words her mirror self were saying: "Killer." It smiled cruelly as if basking in her pain and torment before continuing its sickening mantra. "Killer, killer, killer, killer—"_

_But then the reflection faded away and was replaced by a grotesque disfigured demon that jeered back at her. Its hideous face kept grinning at Anna and she felt her arm raising up in front of her. In the mirror, the demon was showing her that she and it were holding used bullets. In their other hand hung a smoking gun. Suddenly, the demon faded out of view and a woman's recently killed corpse was revealed. Anna began screaming as she saw that the woman looked extremely similar to her. The only difference was that the woman's forehead bore two bloody bullet holes that penetrated her skull. "You murdered our mother," the demon's voice called out sweetly. "You murdered her."_

_Anna was able to finally move her arms and she grabbed the mirror and dashed it to the floor, shards of the reflective glass spilling out across the floor until it turned into ice and then water and then she was swimming in the darkness and she had almost forgotten to hold her breath._

_And then she was back in front of the immense door that looked more like gate to her than anything else now._

STATE YOUR NAME.

"_I…I don't know…anymore…" she said in a daze, drawing her knees up to her chest._

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS.

"_I don't know, you tell me," she replied bitterly._

FINALLY, YOU HAVE ASKED FOR THE TRUTH AND NOW YOU SHALL RECEIVE IT.

"_You again," Anna growled as she saw the cat near a snowy windowsill. She stomped through the pristine white powder, completely ready to throttle the animal._

_But the cat appeared not to hear her and kept on singing something incomprehensible to her._

"_What are you doing?" she snapped._

_The cat merely put one of his claws to his lips. "Shh…" He motioned for Anna to join him._

"_The…the voice promised me the truth."_

"_Well, you will get the truth soon enough. It all depends what you want it for." He rubbed his paws together. "So what would you like the answers for?"_

"_How…how do I free myself?"_

"_Free yourself from what, my child?" The cat stared at her._

"_From this. This prison. This dreamworld that I've been trapped in for sixteen years. I want…I want to rejoin the world that I came from. The world that I am supposed to belong to."_

"_You were never of that world, girl." He bent down and plucked a sole white lily that had somehow sprouted from the snow on the ground. "A lily-girl, not made for this world," he said in a sing-song voice._

"_Tell me the answer!" she said angrily._

"_You have asked and thus shall receive." He peered inside the window they were standing outside of and waved his paw at her, encouraging her to look inside the window as well._

_She looked through the glass and saw Yoh happily listening to music, staring up at the ceiling inside the room they were observing. "Yoh…?" She turned to the cat. "He's the—"_

"_Look again."_

_She faced the window once again. Yoh had been replaced by Hao who was furtively looking around the room, a stack of textbooks in his hands. After confirming that no one was around to see him, he dumped the books into the roaring fireplace which turned into an incinerator. Hao breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door of the incinerator and saw that there was nothing left._

"_What…what are those books he burned?" Anna asked. The cat pointed at one that Hao had dropped by the window and overlooked. She studied the spine of the cover: _HISTORY.

"_Why is he burning history books?"_

"_Look closer," the animal ordered._

_She focused her gaze on the book once more to see that in tiny letters above the word _HISTORY_ was "Kyoyama Anna's" in small timid handwriting._

"_Kyoyama Anna's history…" she whispered. "My history…why is he destroying my history?"_

"_Not destroying." The cat shook his head. "Incinerating." He snapped his claws together and the book that had been on the other side of the window appeared in his paw. "Take it."_

_She took the book and opened it, flipping the pages as she looked over them. "There are…so many blank pages." She faltered as she got to a bunch of pages with pictures on them. "I don't…remember any of this." She stared at a drawing of a tree with jagged branches. She turned the page and looked at a photograph of a man with glasses and light hair._

_She blinked and suddenly she was in the room in the picture. Anna found herself strapped to a metal and leather chair, ones that were usually reserved for criminals. The man with the glasses walked out from behind the chair holding a syringe. "This won't hurt a bit…"_

"_What is that?" she asked, fear flooding her voice._

"_A lethal injection." He raised his arm up, the needle glinting menacingly in the fluorescent light._

_Anna clenched her teeth and shut her eyes, bracing herself for the syringe to puncture her skin and inject its deadly contents into her._

_Instead, she felt nothing._

_She slowly opened her eyes and saw that the syringe had been plunged into the book she had still held into her hand. "Kyoyama Anna's history" began melting, words and pictures and symbols dripping out of the book and mixing together until it formed senseless jargon before the entire thing simply disappeared._

_The man put his fingers to his lips. "You never saw me. Remember that, you never saw me." And then he was gone._

_Anna gasped and was transported back to the snowy windowsill where the cat was waiting for her. "Who…who was that?"_

_The cat wrote "Kyoyama Anna's history" on the fogged up windowsill before erasing it. "So you have your answer, you can go now," he said dismissively, pointing at a door that appeared behind her._

"_I don't have any answers! If anything, I'm more confused and lost than I had started out," she retorted._

_The cat sighed. "How utterly troublesome." He pushed her so that her face was up against the window._

_She saw Yoh again and he turned around and waved cheerfully before he transformed into Hao who sneered which looked more like a genuine smile before it became mocking. Hao became Yoh who became Hao again who became Yoh—_

"_Which one is it?" she asked, panicking._

_The cat ceased pushing her against the window and looked at her solemnly. Anna exhaled, relieved to see that her twisted guide was finally going to tell her some semblance of sane truth._

"_Stray cat loves young boy."_

_She blinked. "W-What?"_

"_Stray cat loves young boy," he repeated, beginning to walk in circles around her. "Cat young stray boy loves. Loves stray young boy cat. Stray cat loves young boy. Cat young stray boy loves. Loves stray young boy cat—"_

"_Just tell me already! I'm sick of your riddles!" she shouted._

"_Fascinating isn't it? Language I mean. Just reorder the words and no matter what in the end, it will tell you who loves what, who is young and who is stray. Fascinating."_

"_How does this have to do with anything?" Anna asked, exhausted from trying to keep up with the logically illogical cat._

"_Oh, my child, it has to do with everything. You saw the twins did you not? Does it matter who is the answer, which one holds your key to escape? Which one symbolizes the past? Which one symbolizes the present? You think you have it all figured out. Well, _obviously_ Hao is your past and Yoh is your present. Just look at the linearity of it all! Then fancy yourself this: Yoh is just as much a part of your past as you were engaged to marry him years ago. Hao has had an invisible hand in the events that have befallen you recently and is poised to reenter your life once more. So now is it that obvious? Which brother is your past and which brother is your present? Who knows? Who cares?"_

"_What does this have to do with the cat and the boy and the…and the…"_

"_Every sentence about the cat and the boy and the love at least one of them feels is simply a reordering the words. Love is the same, is it not? All love is all a result from the same parent: it may seem different at first and have different implications but they are still derivatives of the same original kind of love. So, I ask you, does it really matter which brother is the answer? Isn't love, in all its reordered, shuffled forms, still love in the end?"_

"_It is…it is…" Anna frowned in confusion as she felt tears spring into her eyes. "It's love…I was looking for love all this time…?"_

"_You deprived, deprived child. I shall give you one more…one more…"_

_The cat handed her the lily he had plucked earlier._

"_One twin holds the truth. The other twin holds your escape."_

_

* * *

_"Let us see her!" Redseb whined.

"For the twenty-sixth time, no," Yoh said, still laughing.

"Why not? It's been more than a week since she got the operation," he moaned.

"She needs to rest, she needs her rest," he said firmly but gently.

"I don't see why we can't see Anna," Redseb grumbled while Seyram looked up at Yoh defiantly.

"Think about it this way…if Golem was broken and you brought him into the shop, would you want all your friends disturbing the repairman while he's trying to fix Golem?" Yoh posited.

"Heck, no!" Redseb paused in his outburst and thought for a few moments. "Oh…I get it. Wow, so it's like that for you with Anna? You must _really_ like her!" Redseb stared at him with the highest level of respect he could muster. Seyram nodded reverently in agreement.

"I just want the best for her is all," Yoh mumbled, self-conscious.

"Hey, would when you and Anna have children, can we play with them? Can we be friends with them? Wouldn't that be _awesome_?" Redseb asked his sister. He looked back at Yoh.

"We…we haven't really talked about that yet…" Yoh managed to splutter out.

"You…_are_ going to have kids…right?" Redseb asked skeptically.

"If that's what she wants, then I don't see why not."

"Are you done interrogating Yoh now, Redseb?" They all turned around.

"Jeanne!" The two kids gave a start.

"Run along now, you two," she said, smiling. "Looks like you've rattled Yoh to death with your constant questions."

"Yes, Jeanne!" The siblings saluted her before running back to their room.

"Hello, Jeanne. What…can I help you with?" Yoh asked.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," she said kindly, showing genuine concern.

"Oh…I'm doing alright I guess. Thanks for checking up on me."

"That's good. I can only imagine how hard this is on you," she said quietly.

"I'm just hoping for the best. Of course, the waiting part is the hardest." He tried smiling. "I'm trying…to not think about it so much. I wonder if that's the best idea though."

"Isolating oneself is usually not the best bet." She sighed. "Trust me. But then again, there are always exceptions…" She bit her lip.

"Something eating you?"

"Not particularly. It's just…I'm trying to do the same thing with Lyserg." She looked at him sadly. "I'm not entirely sure if it's the right thing to do. Emotionally distancing oneself, I mean."

"Wow, that's pretty mature for a seventeen year old. I'm impressed. Most kids your age would jump at the chance now that the marriage is off. Your self-control is great!" Yoh commended her.

"I don't know how much of it is actually self-control and how much is just an act on my part," she said a bit lamely.

"I know where you're coming from. People always coming up to me and asking me about Anna and then I always smile…Sometimes it feels like I'm just putting on an act to avoid any further inquiries about my feelings or any proposals to talk with them about my problems if they see how much it's actually bothering me." He shook his head.

"Exactly!" Jeanne cried. "And then they think you're lying when you say everything is fine—"

"I know, right?" Yoh exclaimed. "Man, just look at the pair of us. An outsider would think that we were in some kind of crisis."

"When we're actually complaining about people caring _too_ much," she laughed. "Goodness. Oh and…Pirika gave this to me earlier." She plucked a slip of paper out from her pocket.

Yoh took it from her and unfolded it. In Pirika's fat, bubbly handwriting it said: _Dragon-lady Tao is going to St. Luke's! Prepare for huge showdown between Nichrom and her? Send for reinforcements! P.S. My cell phone battery died_

"Huh. Dr. Tao is going to visit Pailong… I didn't know…"

"Didn't know what?"

"That she still cared for him."

Jeanne raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Hasn't she loved him for a very long time? Of course she would still care for him! Now more than ever."

"But she hid it so well. She had everyone fooled. She was so good at masking how she truly felt…"

"I suppose Dr. Tao is in the same boat as us. What with all the distancing going on, I'd be surprised if anyone in the hospital _wasn't_ trying to isolate themselves from something!"

Yoh smiled. "I wonder how she's going to handle it…Pailong is not just the man she loves. He also symbolizes something greater. He's been her first patient and her latest. She's dedicated nearly her entire professional career to him. She's not going to take this lightly."

"I hope that she's able to be at peace with herself and with him and with everyone that has been involved." Jeanne looked wistfully down the hallway. "But something is telling me that that will not be the case… If you were in Dr. Tao's position, how would you react?"

"I…don't want to think about that. I only want to think about what would…"

"Help her?" Jeanne put forth.

"I just…I just want the best for her, you know?" Yoh said, slumping over. "It's…Eh, never mind."

"You can tell me," Jeanne said.

"It's just that I've never cared about anything or anyone as much as I do with Anna. I want to make her happy…I want to make up for all those times she was hurt or was crying when she was growing up. I want to erase that pain of hers but…I know that it's wrong because that pain makes her who she is but that doesn't change that fact that it hurts me to see that pain still. I want to be the one to tell her everything will be alright and to be by her side when everything _does_ turn out alright. I want to please her and I want to love her. I'm just scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Of messing everything up. I guess that's part of the reason for my isolation. Because if her greatest wish was for me to leave her, I would do it in an instant even though I care about her so much. Because if it makes her happy, than hell, I'm going to try my hardest to make her happy."

"Through your isolation?"

"Through my isolation."

* * *

"_Then you begin to give up the very idea of belonging. Suddenly this thing, this belonging, it seems like some long, dirty lie ... and I begin to believe that everything is an accident. But if you believe that, where do you go? What do you do? What does anything matter?"_

**- Zadie Smith, _White Teeth_**

_

* * *

_**A/N**: why…yes, Anna _is_ mentally unstable. Why do you ask? Haha, in all seriousness, ZOMG an update from _Critical Condition_?! No way! Sorry for churning this out so late, the ideas have been bouncing around in my mind for over a month and I finally was able to translate it to paper (or in this case, a very lengthy word document.) This is by far the longest chapter I've ever written ever so…yes.

I understand that some people might not like this chapter what with the flashbacks and the trippy, surreal dream sequence that is littered with symbolism and dual meanings and foreshadowing!11oneone I loved writing the trippy, surreal dream sequence. By _far _ my favorite thing to write so far in the history of ever. I really liked writing it though so I'm happy with it.

So this chapter is for those who thought that bottling everything up and keeping it to themselves was a good idea. Yes, I've been there. This is dedicated to you. Jeanne is isolating herself from Lyserg and whatever brighter opportunities he holds. Pirika is forced to distance herself from Ren after that _obnoxious_ encounter with his mother (I wanted to _slap_ her—fun fact: some of her dialogue is literally word for word what my religion teacher has said over the past semester.) Yoh is isolating himself from Anna and Jun has been emotionally distancing herself from Pailong. And Tamao is alone now after their fight and Horohoro has been trying to confront all the shit in his life by himself for years. Yes, isolation is in the air…

Thank you to those who have given me so much support. I love you all.

Anyways, shameless plugging time:

1. go read _Europe Roundabout _if you want a break from all of the drama in this chapter

2. it's my birthday on March 15th! That's next Monday. Cough hint hint cough. JUST KIDDING :-)

3. go read _Our Story_. I added the tenth chapter! Wheee!

4. Reviews. Would. Be. _Awesome_. You are all beautiful.


	13. Breaking Boundaries

**13. Breaking Boundaries**

"Pirika!" Tao Ren who had been making a half-hearted attempt at small talk with Lyserg stood up straight as he spied the nurse who was currently engrossed in reading her next patient's file. Her head recoiled back as she heard her name being called, froze, widened her eyes, and walked the fastest anyone has ever walked in the entire history of the universe back into the elevator, all without saying a single word.

"God damn…" she sighed as the elevator light indicated that she had safely made it to the floor above Ren and Lyserg.

"Pirika?" The elevator opened its doors to reveal a patiently waiting Jeanne on the other side.

"Oh, God, Jeanne, sorry you scared me," she replied breathily, her hand clasped at her racing heart.

The girl frowned as Pirika stepped out of the elevator. "Why have you been avoiding Ren lately?" she asked slowly, hoping not to evoke a negative reaction from her friend.

"_What_?" Pirika's voice cracked. (So much for not evoking a negative reaction). "Why…why would you say that? I'm not avoiding him," she said defensively. "I'm…I'm a _very_ busy woman, you know that! I don't have time to cater to him whenever he feels a sudden whim or fancy to talk to me," she rambled on, not able to stop herself.

Jeanne simply looked at her.

"Why? Has he…has he said anything?" Pirika croaked out, hoping to God that he didn't.

Jeanne shook her head. "I was just wondering. It seems like you've been doing everything within your power to prevent any encounter with him." She pressed her lips together firmly before breaking into a sunny, plastic smile. "But then again, what do I know? You avoiding Ren? What a novel idea!" She laughed hollowly as if to dismiss the notion, drawing her face uncomfortably close to Pirika's.

"Er, yeah…can you imagine?" Pirika laughed weakly in return, backing away slowly from Jeanne who was quite reminiscent of Ren's mother at the moment. _Just less bitchy._

Jeanne's face reverted back to its…normal state. "Oh! By the way, Dr. Tao left something for you." She glided over to the receptionist desk and pressed play on the voicemail.

_Hi, Jeanne, this message is for Asakura and Usui and…hold on a second…_

Someone in the background of the message began yelling.

_It's about Pailong…would you _quit it_ already?_ _Anyways—_

The message was cut off.

"What…what do you think it means?" Jeanne asked in concern.

"The person yelling was probably Nichrom. It's probably about Pailong," Pirika concluded.

"Is she going to be okay?" the other girl asked softly.

Pirika laughed, genuinely this time. "Oh, I think Tao can handle herself. And then some, if you know what I mean."

Jeanne grinned uncertainly, indicating that she didn't, in fact, know what Pirika meant.

"Well, I'm actually kinda surprised that she went down there. I mean, she had been putting up appearances this entire time to make everyone believe that she didn't care but… Then she goes and heads over to St. Luke's."

"It is nice to see that she is finally reaching out…" Jeanne murmured, lost in thought.

"Hmm? What was that?" Pirika quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh…ah, it's…it's nothing…I just said that it is nice to see that she is finally reaching out of her isolation."

Pirika nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I mean, Tao is the center of the hospital which is basically one of the life forces of the entire community here in Funbari. You can't want to be a doctor and not participate as a member of the community which you are serving. I suppose it was only a matter of time before she started to reach out back towards her home."

"Her…home?" Jeanne inquired quizzically.

"Her home, you know, everyone here in the hospital, all her patients; we're like her family since to be honest, she doesn't have much to go home to every night." Pirika shrugged. "I guess it's kind of a cheesy comparison now that I think about it—"

Jeanne shook her head vehemently and waved her hands. "No, no, no, I like it. The comparison I mean. It's…nice to think about." She smiled and pressed her palms together as if it truly made her happy.

* * *

"So…what exactly did you want to talk to me about…" Yoh looked down at the text Jun had sent him a few days ago. "Amidamaru?"

The man sitting across from him smiled. "Well, Dr. Tao had informed me of your…er, situation and she has some very compelling evidence to make quite an adequate argument to keep Miss Kyoyama from receiving the death penalty."

Yoh was so surprised that he nearly dropped his phone as he leaned forward. "W-Wait, really? But…God…Dr. Tao is always looking out for me," he gave a tired laugh in gratitude. "But what would this evidence be?" he asked.

Amidamaru, the lawyer Jun had sent over for Yoh, pulled out a piece of paper from his briefcase. "I believe Anna gave this to you a couple of months ago?" He opened the severely creased paper. "And then you gave it to Dr. Tao…"

Yoh took the paper from him and nodded in recognition. "Yeah, it was to help persuade her to let Anna live… But what does this have to do with anything?"

Amidamaru could barely contain himself. "This is the missing piece!"

Yoh merely blinked. "E-Excuse me?"

The lawyer went through the paper that was riddled with newspaper articles. "All these different articles are documenting a homicide that occurred about sixteen years ago. It was pretty well known, even I heard about it despite the fact it happened in Osore. Anna…was witness to her own mother's death. She was there when someone murdered her mother in cold blood, a bloody gunshot to the head."

Yoh frowned. _Where exactly is he going with this?_

"And according to her patient file, prior to her mugging, she suffers from deep set psychological problems that manifest themselves physiologically, correct? Seizures, uncontrollable rage, and such. I think that we might have a legitimate plea of insanity on our hands." The man smiled triumphantly.

"Do those…actually work?" Yoh asked slowly.

"Most them do not…due to the sole cause that the accused making the plea are _faking_ insanity. Anna's mother was shot by the villagers of Osore. Anna then in turn, mentally unstable and continuously exposed to said villagers of Osore…well, you know. Her mental condition, since it has been unaddressed for all these years and thus she hasn't received adequate counseling and psychiatric help, prevented her from knowing right from wrong."

"But…that sounds so convoluted. I'm sure the public, especially those whose relatives and loved ones died during the Osore killing spree because of Anna, will be outraged over this…"

Amidamaru held up a finger. "On the contrary. It is embedded in the very _definition_ and fiber of a crime. A crime is comprised of two elements: the illegal act and the _intent_ to commit the act. Wishing that you could break into someone's house and stealing their valuables is not a crime because no illegal act was committed. Accidentally hitting someone while backing out your car from a parking lot is not a crime as well because you hadn't planned or intended to cause physical harm. Though Anna did commit an illegal act, her mental instability prevented her from actively having the intent to cause harm. Therefore, what she did cannot be called a crime and she cannot be found guilty."

Yoh nodded half-heartedly as he stared at the aged newspaper clipping of a terrified young Anna, five years old at the time, as she watched police officers and paramedics take her mother's murdered body away from the crime scene. A bloody bullet hole dripped down her mother's otherwise pale forehead.

* * *

"_You stupid bitch, we have already told you repeatedly that you are not allowed in the village."_

"_How can you expect me to comply with that? I have a five year old daughter that I need to feed and care for—" her mother shot back defiantly. "Do you expect us to starve in the middle of winter?" She stood protectively in front of Anna._

_The lack of response confirmed that the villagers did, indeed, expect Anna and her mother to starve in the middle of winter._

"_What is wrong with all of you? How can you still be labeling people as outcasts? Don't you see that you all are the barbaric ones here? And yet you damn people according to your sacred shrines and because of the days that they're born on."_

"_How dare you question the gods!"_

_Anna's mother shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to continue to go into the village to procure food until it is at least spring. You can try to get rid of us but you can't ever break us."_

"_If you step into that village, you're putting everyone at risk. You're going to defile us all—" The voice broke. "T-Take one more step and I'll shoot."_

_She halted in her tracks and stared at him unfeelingly. "Are you really going to shoot?" She shook her head in disgust. Anna bit her lip as she saw the man's finger twitching on the trigger. "Do you even know how to use a—"_

_Her mother's body crumpled to the ground, her voice rudely cut off by the loud explosion from the weapon. Anna saw it. She saw the man flinch, his hand accidentally pulling the gun's trigger. She saw the sheer fear that blossomed on the man's face as he dropped the gun and ran. She saw her mother's eyes go wide for a split second right before the lead bullet entered her skull. She saw blood beginning to bloom like a disgusting, unwanted flower from her mother's forehead as her body first went rigid and then limp as she fell, splayed out on the cold, frozen ground._

_She didn't realize that she was screaming until the police arrived. She stood transfixed in the exact same spot, hearing the murmurings of the crows that had formed to watch the spectacle._

"_It was only a matter of time—"_

"_She had it coming—"_

"_How did she not know better? We made it clear that she was no longer welcome—"_

"_That poor man now has to live with the guilt of shooting her—"_

"_Her death is going to make quite the scene. And all because she wanted to feed that bastard, unclean child of hers—"_

_Her mother died because of Anna. If it wasn't for her, if she didn't exist, her mother would still be alive. _

_The little girl's arms were still pinned to her sides, fear paralyzing her body._

"_What is going to happen to her daughter?" a nearby policeman asked one of the villagers._

_The woman merely shrugged. "It doesn't matter. She was one of the outcasts. We could care less what happens to her. It might just be for the best if she fends for herself and starves to death."_

_The policeman frowned but didn't do anything. It wasn't within the police department's jurisdiction. The village was outside of any department's authority and he wasn't one to interfere with anybody's traditions or beliefs, no matter how outdated they were. "What do you want us to do with the body?"_

"_Leave it to us." She dismissed the officer._

_The woman called a man over. "Dump the outcast's body in the mountains where the rest of the scum are."_

_Mount Osore, Mount Fear. They say the gates of hell are there._

_Anna looked around, looked at the deep seated repulsion all over the villagers' faces, looked at how some were even overjoyed at the prospect of her mother being dead, looked as they took her mother's slain body and dumped it in the back of a cart as they went towards the ragged mountain range._

_They say the gates of hell are here._

_I need you to make sure no one notices. Keep everyone calm._

_

* * *

_Pirika pursed her lips at the text that had showed up on her phone as soon as she began charging it and it came back to life. "Keep…everyone…calm…"

"And boy, Tao picked the wrong person to do that," Lyserg mused out loud.

Pirika hopped off of the reception desk she was sitting on, sauntered over to the water cooler, dispensed some of the beverage into a disposable cup she plucked from the table next to it, and walked back to the reception desk.

And then she threw all of the liquid-y contents of the cup in Lyserg's face.

"This is no joking matter!" she exclaimed shrilly, throwing her hands up and whacking the already sopping wet nurse's face.

"Yes and blatant slapstick comedy is definitely going to instate some sort of serious atmosphere, right?" Lyserg asked, shaking his fist at the fourth wall.

"Shut up. Wait…hold on…no, never mind. Shut up. No one cares." Pirika tapped her fingers against the counter. "Keep everyone calm…"

Redseb and Seyram came barreling out of their room. "Pirika? Where is Dr. Tao? We've looked all over the hospital for—"

Her eyes grew to rival the size of that of saucers. "No! Shhhhh, kids. Everything is going to be all right. Don't be scared. Dr. Tao is _definitely_ here and _definitely_ _not_ attending to some life threatening matters because, you know why? That would require _not being here_. While she definitely is here. So keep calm!"

The two kids looked at her as if she had proclaimed to the world that she had unleashed the Kraken into the warm, troubled waters of Greece and that the world was going to end unless they sacrificed their princess.

"Pirika, what the heck are you doing?" Lyserg hissed.

"I'm keeping everyone calm," she explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No you're not. You're deeply scarring them, emotionally and psychologically. Next thing you know, the only way to communicate with them is using sock puppets in the local therapist's office."

Seyram whispered something to Redseb who whispered something to Lyserg. "And now look, the kids want to know if you are possibly abusing substances of the illegal variation," he informed her dryly.

She laughed louder than she had intended to and tried smiling at the kids which came out more as a scared, shaky contorted scowl, further frightening the children. "What would give you _that_ idea?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit in the end. She sighed, seeing that Lyserg was indeed correct and that she was doing quite a good job at scaring the Munzer children. "Sorry guys, it's just that this has been a nerve-racking week—"

"Month," Lyserg interrupted her.

"How about I tell you a story? Haven't done one of those in a while, huh?"

The kids heaved a huge breath of relief now that Pirika was acting somewhat sane again and they nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

"So once upon a time, when the gods first created the earth, they didn't create humans as we know them today. Instead, they created these scary, all powerful, domineering beasts that had two heads, four arms, and four legs."

Redseb and Seyram clung to each other. Nope, Pirika _still_ wasn't sane yet. "Erm…Pirika?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell us something that _isn't so freaky because you are definitely freaking us out_."

_Never again. Never again should I be asked to keep _anyone_ calm_, Pirika thought to herself.

"Al…right…" She paused and frowned, trying to think of a less "freaky" way of telling the story to the kids and still be conveying the same message. "Okay. So here we go. Once upon a time, when the gods first created the earth, they didn't create humans as we know them today. Instead, souls, these bright, pure souls that were made out of the essence of light with the clarity of crystals roamed the lands. The gods saw this and they were pleased that they had created things that were so beautiful."

"Those do sound beautiful," Redseb agreed while Seyram yawned contentedly and rested her head on her brother's shoulder.

"However, the gods, since they were so pleased with their creation, didn't stop with making them beautiful. They were so encouraged with the perfection of these souls that they gave them everything they could: intelligence, power, agility. And over time, the gods saw that this, their pride in thinking that they could concoct something so perfect, would be their downfall. They did indeed make the perfect being, so perfect that they were more powerful than the gods themselves. In fear, the gods enslaved the souls instead of peacefully coexisting with them and ordered that the souls praise the gods constantly. Gradually, the souls saw the fear of the gods, they saw that they were more powerful than the gods and began resenting why they are being treated so badly. Why, they asked, why should _they_ be the ones to be enslaved? Why should the gods be the one receiving praise? Shouldn't the souls be getting praised since they are the perfect ones? The stronger, smarter ones? They rose up and began to revolt. However, seeing that they would fall from the heavens if they were overcome by the souls, the gods banded together in a last ditch attempt. While it was nighttime on earth, the gods snuck down and split all of the sleeping souls into two halves. That way, the souls would still be perfect but would each half would take half of the original soul's power, thus making them weaker than the gods. For their insolence, the gods banished these half complete souls to roam the earth who were constantly in search of their other half so that they could finally be—"

"Complete," Redseb breathed.

"Yup." She smiled.

"I think…I think I heard something like this before. But the person before said that the gods split the souls into two halves, one male and one female. How come you didn't say that?"

Pirika blinked, surprised that Redseb had picked up on a small detail like that. "W-Well… I'd like to think that whoever we find that makes us 'complete' isn't going to be limited by gender. And it isn't necessarily just romantic love. It can be love between friends, familial love, you know. And I'd like to think that my guy friends and my brother make me just as happy as my girl friends." She smiled. "Not to mention, romantic love doesn't have to be just between a male and female."

Redseb laughed and clapped his hands together. "You know, I actually like that explanation a ton more than the other one I heard. It's nice. It's like…like…breakin' boundaries and stuff."

"Since love is love is love, no matter what kind, it will transcend all differences, all conflicts and bring us together as a family." Pirika tucked the two kids in.

"Say, Pirika, who's your other half then?" Redseb asked innocently.

She was caught off guard yet again, never having been asked this question before. "I…ah…"

But before she could answer, Redseb cut in. "Is it that Ren guy?"

Pirika's jaw locked in place as she remembered her less than pleasant initial encounters, then getting a huge donation from him for the fundraiser, then getting to know Ren, then seeing him with that infant, then swimming in abandoned hotel pools with him, then with giving him advice, then realizing that he actually _listened_ to the advice, then getting severely threatened by Tao Ran. "I don't…I don't…No," she said mechanically.

Redseb cocked his head to the side and studied her. "Are you sure?"

"I honestly don't know but I _do_ know someone who _is_ my other half for sure," she said confidently.

"Really? Who is it?" he asked, bouncing up and down in his bed, ready to get some gossip.

She pointed at him.

He looked at her in confusion. "Me?"

She nodded and then pointed at Seyram.

"Seyram too?"

"Yup and Yoh and Anna and my brother and Lyserg and Jeanne and even Dr. Tao and Tamao and just about everyone here."

"But I thought that the gods split the souls in _half_…"

"I think…I-I think that more than one person can make us feel complete. That more than person can make us feel happy. How saddening would it be if only _one_ person existed that could complete us, that could make us feel whole? I feel like a whole person around you guys and everyone in the hospital. Everyone in my home. Yes, I just called the hospital my home but you know what, it's totally true despite how lame and sad and cheesy it is. I love coming here. I love working here. I love everything about everyone, even if it is bad or good."

"It's not cheesy," Redseb declared. "_I_ like it!"

She smiled. "That's good." Before leaving the two kids to sleep for the night, she said one last thing to him. "You know why it's important that the original souls were pure and beautiful?"

Redseb thought about it and then shook his head.

"It's because when we're rejoined with people who make us feel complete and whole and wonderful and happy and break down all the awkward, angry barriers that we might have erected during our isolation and sadness and then they make us feel like everything and nothing at the same time and the only thing we're sure of is that it feels absolutely right…then it's as beautiful and pure as the souls." She stopped by the door before opening it and going outside.

"Then it's perfect."

* * *

"Please, Dr. Tao, today is probably the worst day to be here!" Manta exclaimed, trying to block the doctor from entering Nichrom's office. "There is a boundary here and you're about to cross it…!"

"Oyamada, don't get involved with this. You know…you know how important this is to me," she said, hesitating a bit.

He frowned and then shook his head. "No, I don't. But I _do_ know how important _he_ is to you."

She sighed and sidestepped the shorter nurse. "Nichrom!"

She had envisioned this in her head dozens upon dozens upon dozens of times. How she would thunder into his office and slam her hands down on the other doctor's well organized desk because Nichrom was meticulous like that. How he would look shocked at first and then begin smirking up at her. How she would yell at him the most eloquent thing anyone has ever heard in their entire life. How they would duke it out in at least an hour long debate about morals and ethics and in the end, Jun would win because Jun had good intentions, because she was the better person, because she had the better morals. In each of these hundreds of scenarios, she would be the one who won in the end. In each of these hundreds of scenarios, Pailong would've been alive and Jun would've been able to catch Nichrom in his office mere seconds before he went down to pull the plug on Pailong's life.

But none of these endless scenarios that had flashed through the brilliant Tao lady's mind, that had been worked on and reworked out until it reached perfection in her mind could've prepared her for this.

Nichrom was just as disheveled as she had been when she found out that Anna was involved in the Osorezan killing spree. His coat had several…_dozen_ stains on it, his usually neatly fixed hair looked as if it had been through several natural disasters all at the same time. His eye bags hinted that the last time he had a decent amount of sleep was when hell had frozen over. His room looked as if a bull had been loosed inside of it as papers were strewn about everywhere, pencils, utensils, files were everywhere on the floor. Nothing on the shelves was upright. Even the blinds on the windows were crooked. Nichrom himself was pacing about madly, not caring if he stepped on the most painstakingly organized patient files in the world, as he muttered to himself like he was a lunatic plagued by incessantly talking voices.

"Nichrom!" Jun repeated, more out of shock than out of anger.

His entire body spun about as he turned to face the source of the intruding voice. "_What._"

"What…What happened here?"

It took him several seconds to realize who she was. "You…you…You!" he shouted as he recognized her face. "It's all because of you!"

"I'm not the one who diagnosed him too quickly," she replied snidely.

He began spewing out gibberish and jargon.

"You are not being coherent in the _slightest_. What is going on here?" she demanded.

"I'm ruined…This hospital is ruined…_Everything_ is ruined because of _you_." He scrambled towards her but stepped on several loose sheets of paper and slipped.

Jun steadied him but he promptly yanked his arm barbarically away from her. "Don't touch me. Don't look at me. Death. Death is _everywhere_. Why? Everything is collapsing around us as we speak but lucky you, you, you, _you_…you're deaf and you don't have to hear it!" His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to win. _I_ was supposed to win. Now everything is lost. Everything I've worked. It wasn't supposed to work out like this. This wasn't goddamn _planned_!" he roared.

She shook her head, aware that Nichrom was beyond any point of saving and her only hope was to try to extract what had happened to Pailong. "Did you pull the plug yet?"

"There was _no need_ to pull the plug. No need. What don't you understand, it wasn't necessary, we didn't have to, it wasn't required of us. No, his body decided to act up on its own. There you go. Go, go, go away." His body began shaking. "Everything is burning and all you're doing is playing the violin, aren't you? _Aren't you_? Too many boundaries. We thought there were none in our way. We thought that we had given them all to you. Too many barriers that we didn't realize that we had ran into wall, after wall, after wall and were only skimming off of them, impacting them then stepping away fazed, disoriented, dazed, confused. We sat on top of them as that proverbial egg did, triumphant and victorious, thinking that we, _we_, us humans had conquered the barrier. We were fooling around with forces beyond our control. We sat there thinking it was gone and all we needed to have done was look down to see we hadn't overcome the boundaries. And now we're going to have a great fall…and we can't be put back together again. _We never broke the barriers, Tao._"

Her eyes widened, realizing what he was talking about. "_You_ never did. From all the rules and restrictions and self-imposed isolation because of _you_, _I_ was able to break through them. Demolish them. Because I understand humanity, Nichrom. Because I understand what it was like to be caged in because I already _had_ been boxed in before because of you. So it wasn't a big deal, I was used to it. I was used to fences and boundaries and bars and cages. I was used to not winning. But not Nichrom. Not Dr. Patch, extraordinaire, progressive, modern, American education, M.D. So when he was put between a wall and a hard place, he couldn't recognize them and thus he went insane, not knowing what was what, which was which, who was who. You've hit your head against to many boundaries to even _learn_ how to break through them."

His body went rigid and he began shaking violently, causing a whole mountain of files on his desk to come tumbling down like the Tower of Babel.

One slid from the very top and landed at her feet, its contents spreading out as if welcoming her, _wanting_ her to read them.

_Name: Li, Pailong_

_Current Age: 32_

_Prior Status: Permanent Vegetative State_

_Current Status: Dead_

Over the entirety of the file were huge letters written in angry red ink that formed one singular word underlined seven times on each page: PREMATURE.

"No…He…He died before you even…before you even pulled the plug." Jun felt her legs buckle underneath her.

"Everything is ruined…"

* * *

"Do you think you're strong?"

"Uhm…" To be completely frank, the intensity with which Chocolove was staring at Horohoro was becoming very unsettling to the Ainu boy, only further worsened by the proximity in which they were sitting. "I guess?"

"So if you heard that you're father died, would you go back to Hokkaido?" he asked casually.

Horohoro snorted. "_Hell_ no."

"Why is that?"

He simply gaped at the younger boy. "A-Are you kidding? Were you not present at our last, if not forced, meeting? He physically, mentally, emotionally, everything-ly abused me!" He shook his head in disbelief. "'_Why is that?_' Please."

"So you would not attend his funeral. Interesting." Chocolove nodded. "A common enough response but the reasons are wrong."

"Reasons? Do I really need to explain to you why I _wouldn't_ respectfully attend the funeral of someone who used to be beat me on a regular basis and degrade me daily? I don't need to justify this to you." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"However, the explanation you just gave is _not_ the primary motivator in your situation."

He looked at Chocolove snidely. "Really? Okay then, since you obviously are _psychic and shit_, tell me my _real_ reason."

"Because you feel that it is a symbol of your strength. You feel that by not showing up to the funeral is going to prove something to your father who would already be dead. Why do you need affirmation from a corpse? Why do you assign so much of your self-worth to a person who is about to be six feet under the ground? You think that by not attending his funeral will make you into a man since it shows that you don't care about what he thinks and what he has done when in reality, it makes you more of a child."

Horohoro gawked at him. "Excuse me? No it does _not_."

Chocolove smirked. "Sure."

He rolled his eyes. "Psh, _you're_ one to talk. No one even knows anything about you. So what gives _you_ the license to psychoanalyzediagnoseevaluate me, huh?"

The younger boy smiled and nodded. "Fair enough. I will tell you of my past. But you must break through your own boundaries first before trying to tackle anyone else's. Otherwise, you're going to make things even worse because you are blinded by your own barriers."

"Whatever," Horohoro said in resignation. "Then what do you propose that I do?"

"Do something that truly shows that you are the bigger person. Do something that he would never do for you because he is too scared."

"And what would that be?"

"Show up to his funeral."

Horohoro tilted his head back. "And why would he never go to my funeral if I died?" he asked, actually somewhat intrigued by the answer since he never actually thought of it before.

"Because it shows that you and Pirika were right and that he was wrong. And from what you have told me, he never would want to be wrong."

He blinked. "What would we be right about?"

"That he actually loved you."

Horohoro fixed his gaze on the singular cloud in the sky. "Huh…"

"He would be forced to acknowledge his mistakes, he would be forced to face you and accept the fact that you have finally escaped him: through death. You would still remain untouchable through death and he would have to live with that knowledge; that you have been able to outdo him yet again. He would be too scared to endure all of that, hence he would take the coward's way out." He paused. "Would you…Would you want to be considered his son again?"

Horohoro frowned. "Before you brought all of that up, I would've replied, again, '_Hell no_.' But now…I don't know."

"Try it."

"Pardon?"

"Ask him if you could be recognized as part of the family again. I know that the chances of you doing that are slim but at least you can tell yourself that _you_ did everything within your power to break down that boundary _he_ put up. And if he says no, then _he'll_ be the one to live with the knowledge that he chose to keep that barrier between you—"

"Okay." He shrugged.

Now it was Chocolove's turn to be surprised. "Really? Interesting yet again…"

"Eh, I mean, I've just been bullshitting my way through life for the past…I don't even know how many years. It's nice to finally get some guidance. You know, I've missed structure in my life. And I trust you." He bobbed his head up and down. "Erm…how's Tamao by the way? And the orphanage. You told me to stay away until I learned about myself enough…"

"She probably thinks I killed you."

Horohoro narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Chocolve. "No…No…Really?"

Chocolove shrugged. "I'm probably exaggerating but the last time she _did_ see you was when I was disarming you in that chokehold, thus rendering you unconscious…"

Horohoro's face fell and he began nervously picking at the old, cheap wood of the park bench they had been sitting on.

"What's wrong?" Chocolove observed his mannerisms for a moment. "Oh…I see…"

"What?" Horohoro looked up as if he had been brought out of a daze. "What do you see?"

"You want to see her, don't you? You…miss her."

"Yeah, and what's it to you if I do?" Horohoro swiped at a low branch of a tree they were sitting next to, causing the branch to give a shudder and a few leaves to shakily fall off. "It's not like it's a crime…" he muttered.

"Of course not, of course not." Chocolove smiled in amusement. "In any case, she is concerned about you and feels horrid and is blaming herself what had transpired between the two of you the last time."

"How do you know that?" Horohoro demanded.

"Well…"

* * *

"_Hmm…" Tamao balanced the pen she was writing with on the tip of her finger._

"_What's wrong, Tamao?" he asked even though he already knew the answer._

"_I'm concerned about Horohoro…" she said sadly. "I feel horrid about what happened last time we saw each other. It's all my fault…"_

_Chocolove shook his head. "No, it's not. And perhaps this is a good thing. You both need some time to grow before seeing each other."_

"_Do you think he's going to come back? He hasn't been back since," she said worriedly. "I hope I didn't scare him off for good…"_

"_I wouldn't be too concerned about him," Chocolove said carefully. "If I were you, I'd be more concerned about myself and my own work. You have been distracted for days."_

_She reddened and looked at the tower of paperwork that loomed above her. "Er…yeah…I'm two weeks behind all the form processing."_

_He smiled. "You might want to get a move on that."_

_

* * *

_"Huh. Alright, I guess." Horohoro stood up to leave but then caught himself. "Chocolove…er… I know this isn't my place but… what's Orona?"

"Who's," Chocolove said automatically. "I…"

A full thirty seconds passed before Horohoro realized that he wasn't going to finish his statement. "Oh…okay then." He shrugged to let the younger boy know that it was alright. "So you're really not going to tell me about your past?" he asked teasingly.

"Your boundaries are my boundaries."

* * *

"No, we haven't," Lyserg said, his face reddening as he fended off yet another of Ryu's endless questions.

"What's going on?" Yoh asked as he joined his two friends.

"Ryu is interrogating me!" Lyserg exclaimed as if he were tattling to his mommy.

"Lyserg is not answering me!" Ryu said with a mocking, amused tone.

Yoh smiled. "What is this little interview session about?"

"Oh, I was just curious as to how far Lyserg and Jeanne have gotten in terms of…you know…" Cue trademark creepy Umemiya smile. "Canoodling."

"Canoodling?" Yoh asked, evidently not familiar with the term.

"Canoodling." Ryu nodded in affirmation.

"Canoodling…" Lyserg groaned. "Stop with the questions already."

Yoh laughed. "If that means what I think it means, I'd advise you to stop too, if not for saving your time. Lyserg and Jeanne are…different."

Ryu pursed his lips in disapproval. "Don't tell me as soon as that silver haired princess broke off her engagement to that dastardly, disgusting Tao boy, you didn't get _on that_ as soon as you could?"

Lyserg shook his head angrily. "No, there was absolutely _no_ 'getting on' of _anything_ that happened between me and Jeanne," he growled as if offended by the notion.

"Hmph. How boring. No making out? No kissing? No holding hands? No hugging?"

"No, no, no, and no." Lyserg accentuated each no with a shake of his head.

"How do you live?" Ryu gaped at him.

"How do _you_ live?" Lyserg shot back.

"Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that you're a virgin." Ryu clucked his tongue in pity.

Lyserg remained silent, consoled only by Yoh patting him on the back.

Ryu froze. He slowly turned to face Lyserg. He looked at the expression on Lyserg's face.

"Oh in the name of all that is pure, holy, and sacred!" he cried.

"_What._"

"Don't tell me that…that…that…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "You haven't done…_it_ yet?"

"Done what, Ryu?" Lyserg growled, trying his best not to sever the new cafeteria cook's head.

"You know. It. The deed. The nasty. Got rid of the big V. Have sex."

"…And so what if I haven't."

Ryu looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Lyserg, Lyserg, Lyserg…how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-one."

"Twenty…! Twenty-one! Goddamnit, it's time to man up?" He seized Lyserg by the shoulders.

Lyserg appeared to be caught between dying and killing (Ryu that is). "Oh my God, let go of me. I don't want to have sex, especially if it's mandated by you!"

"Am I…Am I interrupting something?" Jeanne blinked rapidly as she was frozen in her tracks on her way from the elevator.

"Jeanne!" All the color from his face drained away.

"I…I…I think I'll…come back…later…" She walked away in a daze.

"What have you done!" Lyserg yelled. "I'm perfectly fine being a virgin. I'm perfectly fine with never having touched Jeanne or doing anything with her asides from data entry or paperwork. I'm perfectly fine with everything. We both have boundaries, so of _course_ I'm not going to make a move on her right after she gets out of an engagement. She is super religious so of _course_ we're not going to be doing any amount of 'canoodling' or whatnot. And to top it off, I want to wait until I'm married to have sex so of _course_ I'd want you to stop asking me about it!" he fumed before storming off.

"Wow. I've never seen him get that angry before. Though, it _is_ kind of funny. Just let him calm down for a few minutes. I think it's embarrassment more than being mad though," Yoh explained.

"Heh, I know. I just wanted to see him get riled up is all." Ryu happily put his hands behind his head.

"Huh, why though? Lyserg isn't too much fun to tease…"

"No, no, no, that's not it. Though she and that Tao boy _say_ that they're not engaged anymore, I have a sneaking suspicion that their families aren't going to be too thrilled. Now that I have sufficiently flustered Lyserg on the topic of Jeanne, he is going to do one of two things: extremely distance himself from her or become much more protective of her. However, he is far in too deep to isolate himself at this point from her, so that leaves the latter option." He smiled. "When, and I mean when, not if, the Tao family and Marco force them back into the engagement…Lyserg won't let go of her without a fight. Not again."

Yoh grinned and nodded. "Wow, that was surprising elaborate and effective, Ryu."

"I have my moments." The cook flashed him a thumbs up.

They both sat, enjoying the silence until Yoh spoke up again. "So, when did _you_ lose your virginity?"

Ryu blanched and fell into silence. "I…um…We don't talk about that anymore—"

Yoh laughed long and hard. "Oh boy, Ryu."

* * *

"Marco, what are you doing here?" Ren asked angrily.

"Silence, you do not have the right to address me or look at me now that you have broken off the engagement with Jeanne, hmm?" Marco said lazily.

Ren scoffed. "For the purposes of being in the hospital when you're obviously not welcome here, you are required to answer."

"I am not required to do anything, Tao…" Marco looked around. "And it is rather unfortunate that I happen to have partial ownership of this hospital, hmm?"

"Why you—"

"_Attention ICU nurses, ICU nurses, please report to the fifth floor to attend to Kyoyama. Again, ICU nurses please report to the fifth floor to attend to Kyoyama Anna._"

Marco's eyes narrowed. "Ky…oyam…a?" he said slowly.

"Yes. What, do you have a problem with her too? Want to pull the plug on Kyoyama just like you're doing with Pailong?" Ren snapped.

"Kyoyama Anna?" he asked again. "Interesting…"

"That's what the PA system said, isn't it?" He walked away. "Bastard…" he muttered under his breath. However, before he went back into the hallway, he heard Marco say angrily on the phone:

"You were supposed to make sure Kyoyama Anna was _dead_."

* * *

"Can I help you?" Yoh blinked in surprise as he was surrounded by members of the Gandhara once again.

"We...have some news concerning Kyoyama." The officers looked at one another as if they themselves were unable to believe the news they were about to share.

"Okay, go ahead…" Yoh gave them his full attention.

"I…" The officer frowned and instead simply handed him a printout of a police report. "Here."

* * *

"_Must I tolerate you again?" Anna asked, looking witheringly at the cat._

_The cat simply smiled back up at her. "It is rather nice to see you too."_

"_Go away." She began walking down a path that appeared in front of her._

"_Now is that any way to speak to the one who is about to free you?" the cat replied offhandedly._

_She froze. "Wh…What?"_

"_Your time here is nearly done," he explained. "Everything is about to be disassembled. The boundaries, the barriers, the questions, the lies, the deception, the manipulation…they're all about to be unraveled and torn down." He snapped and the path disappeared and were immediately transported to an open field. "And because of that, we must hurry. We _are_ rather late you know." He seized her by the hand and the two began running._

_She was caught off guard by their sudden sprinting. "L-Late? Late for what? What do we have to hurry for?"_

"_We're behind schedule. You must find out the truth before you return."_

"_The truth about what?" They went out of the field and entered a grove of trees._

"_Yourself. Everything. Nothing."_

_They came to a skidding stop. When she looked up after she regained her breath, she saw an ornately set table. "What is this?"_

"_This is where you will learn." He pushed her lightly on the shoulder and it felt as if he had dropped a huge weight on her back. She sunk into the chair. "I'm irrational, am I not?"_

_She rolled her eyes. "_Now_ you realize this? Of course you are."_

"_No, you're irrational."_

_She glared at him. "What are you talking about? You're the irrational one."_

"_Yes and no. I'm irrational because through my convoluted logic-that-is-not-logic, you are able to find the truth. In my madness, you find method. And the message you have been looking for. Am I insane? Or am I the only sane person here? There really is no point of reference. Just what_ you_ deem to be insane. But what if _you_ were mad yourself? Does that mean that those you think are mad are twice as mad or are they not mad at all?"_

"_You're making my head hurt," she growled, massaging her forehead._

"_You are irrational as well using my point-of-reference-not-point-of-reference."_

"_You're the one speaking gibberish!" she accused._

"_You're the one who fell in love with someone in a month. Is that logical? You barely know him. In fact, you know nothing about him." The cat smiled. "But in that way, you know everything about him."_

"_Oh shush," she groaned, resting her arm on the table and closing her eyes._

"_At least you acknowledge that you love him."_

_Her face reddened but her eyes remained closed. "Why do I even bother…"_

"_You bother because you care. Anyways, by not knowing anything about him allows you to be totally unbiased in your observations of him. You can watch him, see how he acts, what he says, because as everyone knows, one's character is best derived from that. You get to know him because you didn't know him. There were no preconceived mental barriers or biased boundaries that limited your sight of him. It is by being irrational that you are able to see the light."_

_Anna nodded slowly, understanding flooding her eyes. "That…that actually make sense for once."_

_The cat smiled. "Good! You are learning! Perhaps we are not running behind schedule then." The animals' face grew dark. "But then there is one last kind of irrationality…"_

_She frowned, seeing the cat's negative reaction. "What is it?"_

"_It is irrationality for the sake of irrationality. It does not exist to tell the truth or provide enlightenment or understanding. It exists as the pure antithesis to logic and illogical logic. Though we can see this irrationality for the sake of irrationality as being pure anarchy…It can sometimes masquerade as being rational. This is hostile, harmful madness, insanity for the sake of hurting others. Many will say that it makes sense but once you dig deeper you see that it doesn't at all."_

_Anna drew her eyebrows together. "Who…who has this kind of irrationality?"_

_The cat removed the top of one of the teapots on the table and plucked something out of it. "This."_

_It was the man, granted he had been shrunken, she had seen in her previous dream, the one with the lethal injection who wanted to erase her history._

_It was the man with the glasses._

_

* * *

_"Are you one hundred percent sure that this is accurate?" Yoh heard his voice ask roughly.

"Of course one must allow for a margin of error, but…the discrepancy is too big."

"So then this means…" Yoh looked up from the report at the officers.

"Yes. Huge boundaries have been broken down in this criminal case. A breakdown of epic proportions that is going to turn everything on its head."

* * *

"We die containing the richness of lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have plunged into and swum up as if rivers of wisdom, characters we have climbed into as if trees, fears we have hidden in as if caves. I wish for all this to be marked on my body when I am dead. I believe in such cartography- to be marked by nature, not just to label ourselves on a map like the names of rich men and women on buildings. We are communal histories, communal books. We are not owned or monogamous in our taste or experience. All I desired was to walk upon such an earth that had no maps."

- **Michael Ondaatje, _The English Patient_**

**_

* * *

_A/N**: yes, I am shamelessly copying and pasting this author's note to all my updates today (count 'em: FOUR UPDATES, GUYS)

other things I'm updating tonight:

1. _**Blackbird Singing: **_a piece on what it means to have a sibling (Hao/Yoh...sorry guys, I don't ship them so it's more family oriented)

2. _**The Mismatched Adventures of Tao Boy and Ainu Girl**_: HOLY SHIT, I'M BACK FROM FIVE MONTH HIATUS.

3. _**Our Story**_: YOH AND ANNA FINALLY MEET UP AGAIN YAY

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER (mind you, I'm running on one piece of toast....I probably should go and eat something now. meh.)

Check out _Testimonies_ and _Strangers_ and that will make me happy.

HI GUYS I REALLY MISSED CRITICAL CONDITION. AND ALL YOU GUYS.

And...if you're interested in the **contest**, please go to my profile and clink on the contest info link there. it would be awesome if you commented on the LJ post so it'll be easier to see who is participating (people who don't have a livejournal can still comment! I've enabled anonymous commenting)

KTHANKS. and thank you for all the offers to help out with the prizes guys! I'll personally respond to all your reviews on all my stories after AP's.

I'm so proud of myself. So productive.

**Don't forget to leave a review!**

happy days! and check me out!: shatteredlyre . livejournal . com


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